From TEDx Berkshires 2012:
Charley's Fund is named for Tracy and Benji Seckler's son, Charley, who, to the casual observer, is simply a quirky little kid with irresistible curls and a mischievous sense of humor. Charley's devilish smile belies what is going on inside his body, for his muscles are deteriorating at an alarming pace. Unless a cure or treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is found, Charley will lose his ability to walk by adolescence, and subsequently lose all muscle function. Like all boys with Duchenne, he will die from respiratory or heart failure in his late teens or early twenties. Charley's Fund was incorporated four months after the diagnosis. By refusing to surrender, the Seckler's turned a basic assumption on its head -- that the most complicated problems require a phd or an expert to come up with solutions. Their experience teaches us that in fact, it is determination and innovation that can drive toward a solution. And that determination and innovation can come from anyone.
Dr. Maria Sirois is an inspirational speaker, consultant, and licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in the fields of wellness and positive psychology for twenty years. As a lecturer and motivational speaker, Maria has been invited to keynote at conferences for wellness organizations, businesses, hospitals, hospices, religious and philanthropic institutions around the country. A master storyteller, her lectures and workshops combine powerful and moving anecdotes with research to bring an audience to the place we all most want to be: moved to tears, joy and positive action within the lives we are already living. Addressing topics as diverse as "Sustaining Resilience in the Presence of Suffering," "Every Day Counts: Flourishing No Matter What," and "The Heart in Philanthropy," she has been called both a "true teacher," and "an orator of great power and beauty."
Mark Hyman, MD has dedicated his career to identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness through a groundbreaking whole-systems medicine approach known as Functional Medicine. He is a family physician, a four-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader in his field. He is currently medical editor at the Huffington Post and on the Medical Advisory Board at The Doctor Oz Show. He is on the Board of Directors of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and a faculty member of its Food As Medicine training program. He is also on the Board of Advisors of Memhet Oz's HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by "educating the student body" in American high schools about nutrition, fitness and mental resilience. He is a volunteer for Partners in Health with whom he worked immediately after the earthquake in Haiti and continues to help rebuild the health care system there. He was featured on 60 Minutes for his work there.
TEDxBerkshires 2012
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Overcoming Disease, Pursuing Vitality
Please join us to listen to our live speakers Dr. Mark Hyman, Charley's Fund founder Benjy Seckler, and psychologist and inspirational speaker Maria Sirois as they each discuss their profound experiences. We will also see some selected TED Talks.
4:00pm: Welcome Reception
4:30pm: TEDxBerkshires Program
6:00pm: Reception and Dinner
What can a trip to Haiti teach us about our own diets?
Could social networks be an unexpected solution to our health care crisis?
What would you do if you had only a short time to find a treatment for a uncureable, fatal disease?
Can molecular medicine and gene therapy provide a cure?
Can we grow organs instead of transplanting them?"
How does "authenticity" fuel a life worth living?