West Hartford Couple Pauses to Meet Lame Duck

West Hartford residents Phillip Gripp and Jean Cormier pose with Lemon the Duck at the 2011 National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter, Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony, held Sunday, March 11, at the Rocky Hill Marriott in Rocky Hill.

Gripp, a retired lawyer who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983, and Cormier, who retired from The Travelers Companies several years ago, attended with more than 200 other guests.

Children’s book author and kindergarten teacher Laura Backman served as keynote speaker, sharing her personal connection to multiple sclerosis and speaking about living life to the fullest in the face of disability. She is the owner of Lemon the Duck, a pekin duck who was hatched six years ago in Backman’s kindergarten class. Lemon, who is disabled, was born with a neurological disease similar to multiple sclerosis. Lemon cannot sit or stand on her own.

Backman, whose father battled a progressive form of multiple sclerosis, designed several assistive devices to help Lemon with mobility. In 2008, Backman, who lives in Portsmouth, R.I.,  authored the children’s book, "Lemon the Duck."

The awards ceremony also featured a breakout session for children, which included a meet and greet with Lemon, a, book reading by Laura Backman and photo opportunities with Backman and Lemon the Duck.

Gripp and Cormier met in the late 1980s when Cormier volunteered at the National MS Society, Connecticut Chapter’s, MS Vacation Week where Gripp was a camper. The pair were instrumental in the formation of the Travelers Walk MS team, on which they still participate each year in West Hartford.

This year’s Travelers Walk MS will take place Sunday, April 22, at 12 sites across the state, including the University of Connecticut at West Hartford. For more information on Laura Backman and Lemon the Duck, visit www.lemontheduck.com. For more information on the 2012 Travelers Walk MS, presented by North American Power, visit www.ctfightsMS.org.