Wendy Booker is a life-long adventurer, speaker, MS Insight Founder/CEO, advocate within the global Multiple Sclerosis (MS) community, and author of New Altitude: Beyond Tough Times to the Top of the World. She has sixteen years of experience in patient advocacy, community engagement, marketing communications, media, events, and public affairs in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical sector. Over the years, Wendy has anchored a wide variety of patient relations campaigns, corporate events, community engagement initiatives, training sessions, media campaigns, fundraisers and public relations functions. 

In June of 1998, Wendy was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. When first diagnosed, she was devastated. But it took very little time for her to transform anguish into inspiration. Wendy immediately turned her hobby of casual running into a continuous pursuit. She was the first person with MS to conquer six of the Seven Summits. After transitioning her goal of standing on top of the world away from Mt. Everest, she became the first person with MS to reach the North Pole in April of 2011. The South Pole quickly followed in January 2012. Wendy continues to run marathons having done twelve so far. 

In this interview, with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Wendy discusses her life dealing with MS, her non-profit MSinsight.org, her passion for adventure, how she found the strength to climb mountains, figuratively and literally, as an “accidental athlete.” Wendy also shares the “Three S’s,” self-discovery, serendipity, and stubbornness, that have impacted her life. Wendy states, “The mountains are a perfect metaphor for life: goal setting, team building, challenges, doubts and leadership. Every obstacle we face can be related back to the mountains.”