National Scleroderma Foundation

Thank you for visiting my personal fundraising page to support this Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma event!

Your support means so much. Donating through this site is quick, easy, and secure, and it’s the most effective way to help me raise funds that directly support the National Scleroderma Foundation’s mission to advance medical research, promote disease awareness, and provide support and education to people with scleroderma, their families, and support networks. To make a donation, simply click “Donate” and complete the form.

As most of you know, my mother (whose nickname was "MR") had scleroderma, so this event is near and dear to my heart. When my mother was first diagnosed, our response was "sclero-what?". Yours may have been the same because scleroderma is a rare auto-immune connective tissue disease that not many people have heard of.

Scleroderma impacted MR by causing fibrosis to her skin (making her skin tight and limiting movement so that doing daily things we take for granted became difficult, like getting dressed, preparing food, or opening a water bottle); damaging her GI tract making it hard for her to swallow and inhibiting her ability to process food and absorb nutrients; and attacking her lungs which led to pulmonary arterial hypertension and interstitial lung disease.

I continue to fight for a cure in her memory and for so many others whom I have met through the National Scleroderma Foundation whose strength and courage inspire me everyday.

I truly appreciate your generosity. It will help raise awareness, support those living with scleroderma, and bring us one step closer to finding a cure.