After months of not being able to perform stand up due to Covid, I grew sad. After all, you need a live audience to do stand up, right? But then I got the call that brightened my day. MS Got Talent wanted me to perform through Twitch, a video live-streaming service. Stand up is back!

I’m thrilled to introduce you to the amazing minds behind this creative and exciting event.

MS GOT TALENT

Date: October 24, 2020

Time: 4-6PM PST

What: Join DJ CC Boom and DJ Danga Dang with emcee Jillian Escoto (Co-Host, Valentine in the Morning) for our first ever, MS Got Talent.  We will gather virtually and inspire hope through a variety of performances all in support of the National MS Society.

Where: Twitch, a video live-streaming service. It’s a lot like Zoom.

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1053

Who: DJ Danga Dang, DJ CC BooM, DJ Po, singers, dancers, musicians and a little comedy.

Why: Spread joy and awareness for the MS Society and have fun.

Interview with Chloe Cohen about MS Got Talent

Stacey: What type of acts can we expect at MS Got Talent?

Chloe: As of right now we have 17/18 acts…We got musicians, three DJs, dancers, singers, pianist, artist, poet and ONE COMEDIAN!!! Again, I can’t wait to hear what you say!

Stacey: What’s your goal?

Chloe: We have a goal of $15000 as of right now.

Stacey: How did you get involved in MS Got Talent?

Chloe: It was in April when I talked to Tracy Leeper, President of the National MS Society in Oregon and Southwest Washington, about doing some kind of virtual event. I am a DJ and I knew how much talent was just in my support group that it could be possible to put on some kind of event or show to raise some money for the NMSS. Tracy then threw out the idea to lot of people and there was interest so, here we are.

I was trying to just gather people living with MS but, that was not happening so, I pulled in some other talented people. Then, somehow I got connected with DJ Danga who had expressed an interest. We all got on a call together and talked. From there we both gathered talent and have been working on this for the last four months.

Where: Twitch

https://mssociety.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=1053

Stacey: What does the MS Society do?

Chloe: The Society mobilizes people and resources so that everyone affected by multiple sclerosis can live their best lives as we stop MS in its tracks, restore what has been lost and end MS forever.

Last year, through our comprehensive nationwide network of services, the Society connected approximately one million people to the connections, information and resources they need. To move closer to a world free of MS, the Society also invested in 380 new and ongoing research projects around the world.

Stacey: What’s it like to be an Ambassador for MS?

Chloe: Well, I have lived with MS for 22.5 years. I started a support group 15 years ago here in Portland for people 25 and under with MS. Then it was 30 and under. Then is was 40 and under for a bit and now we just called it MS Happy Hour. I guess that was the first thing I did through the NMSS.

I have volunteered at the MS Walk for like 5-6 years. In 2017 I got to go to the NMSS Public Policy Conference and speak with representatives from Oregon about funding and resources. I have spoken at a few events for the Oregon chapter.

In 2018, I had the privilege of speaking at the NMSS Gala. Generally, I briefly tell my story and speak about the strength of this community. I am sure I left something out but, for the last 15 years I have been a part of the society. Bringing awareness and hope.

Stacey: Tell me about your book, Stronger Together: My MS Story.

Chloe: It’s about finding strength in connection. The diagnosis of a chronic illness can uproot your life and send you on a journey you would never have imagined. With uncertainties and questions now swirling around your head, you wonder if there will ever be calm again.

Being diagnosed with MS at the age of twenty, life took on a whole new meaning. In Stronger Together, I shares my story of how I journeyed from my fear of needles to getting full sleeve tattoos, from giving up my musical dreams to playing as a DJ, and from struggling to function to truly thriving. Through my journey, I discovered how much the power of positive thinking can help a path to healing.

Buy on Amazon: Stronger Together: My MS Story

About Chloe Cohen AKA DJ CC Boom

Music has always been a big part of life. I grew up playing the piano and the cello. In 1998, at the age of 20, I was diagnosed with Relapsing Remitting MS. One of my earliest symptoms was constant tremor mostly in my left arm, therefore I could no longer play the cello, one of the hardest symptoms of my diagnosis.

After a couple years of anger, sadness and bitterness I did remember that I had learned how to DJ back in high school in 1994. In 2000 I decided to bring the turntables out and bring back the music into my life.

Back then I had more physical disability and I could only stand for 10 minutes at a time. I adapted the way I spun to fit my needs. Not knowing when my left arm was going to move or bounce I held it behind my back for about ten years while I was spinning. Figuring out that I could spin online allowed me to sit and go at my own pace.  I have been spinning online for about 20 years on various platforms.

Music is my passion and always will be. For the last ten years I have been building my craft and enjoying every second and being able to spread joy through sound. I am so grateful to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for helping all the #MSWarriors out there and giving us a wonderful community.

She’s an MS Ambassador, volunteer, self-help group founder at National MS society, Oregon Chapter.

Buy on Amazon: Stronger Together: My MS Story

About DJ Danga Dang

DJ Danga Dang  is an up and coming DJ from Long Beach, California. Her love for Hip Hop and dance stem from years as a dancer/director on Culture Shock LA and Versastyle Dance Company. She was diagnosed with MS in 2016.

In 2018, she decided to retire her dancing shoes and venture out into djing. In April 2019, she graduated from Scratch DJ Academy, Los Angeles. She currently represents a Hip Hop/Breaking crew called Underground Flow. She hopes to spread love and good vibes everywhere.

Are You Still Kidding Me?

Want more? Are You Still Kidding Me? is available on Amazon in ebook and paperback. What are reviewers saying?

“I love Stacey Gustafson’s voice–her stories and how she shares them! She is entertaining, relevant and relatable, and her new book is for anyone who is a parent, child, spouse, or other.” – Wendy Liebman, stand-up comedian, semi-finalist on American’s Got Talent, Taller on TV 

Buy now at https://amzn.to/2w81huR