Oscar the MS Monkey

“We are a nonprofit organization that sends care packages to children who have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. We also run a family and teen camp and are adding new programs every year.
Our organization was founded in 2016. We make handmade sock monkeys and send them to children around the world with an MS diagnosis. To date, we have sent nearly 500 care packages to children in 8 countries. These sock monkeys are created by a team of 5 volunteers and organization staff.

I was diagnosed with MS when I was 15 years old and felt a large sense of loneliness. I could not find other kids or teens with multiple sclerosis, or the resources I needed. I started creating these sock monkeys as a fundraiser but soon realized that as I found children with the diagnosis, they each wanted a friend. The sock monkeys serve as a friend to the children, but also a symbol of community for these kids. We encourage the kids (and their parents) to post photos with their monkeys on our social media sites so other kids can see they are not alone. They can view the images and understand there are other children facing the same challenges created by MS.” explained Emily Blosberg.