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Why I RIDE…
I'm riding all the way from Seattle to San Diego to raise awareness and funds for Polycystic Kidney Disease or PKD. I ride for myself and on behalf of the 600,000 people in the U.S. and 12.5 million people worldwide so that "no one suffers the full effects of Polycystic Kidney Disease."
I am a patient, a volunteer, and an advocate. I was diagnosed with PKD on April 12, 2006, the day before my 36th birthday. Elevated blood pressure was my first symptom for which I am currently taking blood pressure medication. I am now experiencing dwindling red blood cell counts.
Polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, affecting more people than Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and sickle cell anemia - combined. Currently there is no treatment and no cure…But there is hope.
The PKD Foundation is here to ensure that someday, no one suffers the full effects of PKD. The PKD Foundation aggressively seeks to convert:
- Ignorance into knowledge through high quality patient education materials
- Despair into hope through communications, support groups and research advances
- Isolation into community by involvement in more than 70 PKD Foundation chapters and by lobbying congress
- Ideas into reality through the research the Foundation funds and through clinical drug trials
- Basic science into therapies through ‘translational’ grants and the Foundation’s work with FDA
- Small dollars into large dollars by leveraging grants into expanded PKD National Institute of Health (NIH) research through "passionate advocacy"
We, as patients, volunteers, and advocates are part of a community of activists who support the efforts of the PKD Foundation's commitment to finding a cure. Become a part of our community by supporting my ride!
Check out my blog and track my training and progress at http://rideforpkd.blogspot.com Hope to see you there!
Thank you for your support!
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