SUNY Brockport nursing student starts nonprofit to raise money for preventive testing for Multiple Sclerosis
Mountains, Minds, and MRIs is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit created by SUNY Brockport nursing student Lilianna Palumbo and her brother, Giovanni, to help cover the cost of preventive neurological testing for people whose insurance won’t pay for it — or who don’t have insurance at all. The concept for the organization grew out of their family’s experience.
Palumbo’s father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and a brain tumor at age 35. As his condition worsened, he moved into a nursing home to receive more specialized care. That’s when their mother began pushing Giovanni and Lilianna to be tested as well.
“I had one of the major signs of multiple sclerosis, where I would look down and my legs would tingle,” Palumbo explained. “But when I would tell that to my doctors and nurses, they thought it was normal because I was an athlete and they were growing pains. Nobody really took me seriously.”
After two years of fighting with the insurance company, Lilianna’s mother was finally able to get her brother tested, confirming he had MS. Shortly afterward, Lilianna received the same diagnosis. She was 13 years old.
The experience shaped the mission behind Mountains, Minds, and MRIs. Early diagnosis can have a significant effect on managing MS and other neurological diseases, but access to testing isn’t always simple. For families without insurance — or whose insurance denies coverage — the cost can become another barrier to care.
Her family’s experience also inspired Palumbo to pursue nursing.
“I actually thought I wanted to be a neurosurgeon,” Palumbo said. “But then I was like, no, I like patients. I want to be able to help people… And that is exactly why I chose nursing.”
Throughout her time in SUNY Brockport’s nursing program, Palumbo kept noticing connections between her coursework and her father’s declining condition. Those connections continued until his passing during the fall of her junior year.
“Everything happens for a reason. Everything intertwined. As my father was dealing with something, I was learning about it in school,” Palumbo said. “As we learned postmortem, everything correlated. Everything made sense in a weird way.”
After their father’s death, Lilianna and Giovanni created Mountains, Minds, and MRIs as a way to channel their grief into helping other families facing neurological diseases.
“The organization started as an impulsive idea of, ‘What can I do from this to help others?’” Palumbo said.
Since then, they have organized a fundraising walk, appeared on local news, and planned ways to expand the organization through merchandise, community partnerships, and additional fundraising events.
“I just hope it can get as big as I want it to be because I don’t want it to be big for me,” Palumbo said. “I genuinely want to help so many people.”
For more information on Mountains, Minds, and MRIs, visit mmmproject.com.
Provided information and photo
Lilianna Palumbo (center) at the MS Awareness Walk held at SUNY Brockport in March.
