Patricia Lufkin
Crew
Patricia “Patty” Lufkin, 51, is married and an active mother to three sons. She lives in Terrace Park, Ohio and enjoys travel, boating and time with her family. Patty was diagnosed with MS at the age of 23. She is very active in fundraising, patient support, and raising awareness of MS. Patty is a MS patient advocate and received the Joel Kahn Award of Courage from the National MS Society in 2011. In addition to her considerable work within the MS community, Patty was a senior executive for more than 15 years working in the field of sales and leadership development. She trained hundreds of staff and worked with Fortune 500 companies globally.
Patty’s family shares a love of the sea. Two of her sons have recently participated in a SEA Education program this year and her youngest son, Hugh, is currently part of the crew aboard the SSV Robert C. Seamans in the Pacific Ocean. It was Hugh who saw the Ocean of Hope vessel in New Bedford, Massachusetts during his preparatory training in Woods Hole. As Patty encouraged her sons to embark on their voyages, she never imagined that there would ever be an opportunity to combine her passion for the sea with her commitment to MS advocacy.
In her own words, “I feel privileged to be a part of an initiative that is life affirming and that demonstrates that we can grow and achieve even with a diagnosis of MS.”