Call for help!
Good morning all! I know most of you are STILL waiting for our remodel updates, but I’m behind due to workload. I need to take the time today, though, for a topic that need attention.
My cousing wrote us yesterday in a call for support. She and her 16 year old daughter will get up very early on Sunday, September 25, at Yosemite National Park in California to hike to the top of Half Dome. Their goal is to raise over $500 for The Histiocytosis Association of America. With help from folks like you, I know they can raise it.
Here is the information she sent me:
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Histiocytosis is a rare blood disease that is caused by an excess of white blood cells called histiocytes.
The histiocytes cluster together and can attack the skin, bones, and organs. The disease can range from limited involvement that spontaneously regresses to progressive multi-organ involvement that can be chronic, debilitating and life threatening.
The majority of histiocytosis cases occur in children under age ten. The disease affects roughly 1 in
200,000 children born each year in the United States. It can also occur in adolescents and adults of all ages. Histiocytosis is so rare that there is little research into its cause and treatment and is often referred to as an “orphan disease”, meaning it strikes too few people to generate government supported research.
My very good friend’s son, Anton was born with Langerhans Cell Hystiocytosis. I just happened to be at her house in California the day her very young baby was diagnosed. Despair turned into resolve as this family set out to make a difference in the lives of people with hystiocytosis by organizing this annual Hike For A Cure. Last year nearly 150 hikers joined to raise $70,000. This is the first year that I have been able to join the hike and I am very excited and very nervous.
I am excited because I want to be a part of helping to find a cure for hystiocytosis.
I am nervous because I am have all the joint aches of a 44-year old and I am cardiovascularly out-of-shape. The Hike up and down Half Dome is 18 miles with an increase in elevation of 4,000 feet! Arghhh! I have started to train (hiking, weight lifting, hill climbing, etc.) and will be climbing many flights of stairs here in flat Minnesota. I am accepting any and all suggestions for long and hilly hikes within 20 miles of St. Paul.
The trip is costing us very little. We used frequent flyer miles for our flights. We’ll be sharing cabins and transportation with the organizer’s family. We will probably need to buy some meals while in Yosemite. To make my goal of raising $500, I am going to ask 100 people for a $5 donation.
Can I count on you to sponsor my hike by donating $5.00 (or more)? (All donations are tax-deductible.) If you want to sponsor me, read on…
HOW TO SPONSOR GENA:
Let me count the ways:
1. Pay through PayPal by going to http://www.hikeforacure.com/
In the left column click on “Register or Sponsor” then “Become a Sponsor”
In the window scroll down to #4 and click on the PayPal logo.
2. Donate by phone with your credit card (MasterCard, Visa and American Express):
Call the Histiocytosis Association of America, (HAA), directly at 1- 800-548-2758 (in US and Canada) Monday-Friday between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time.
They will be happy to talk with you! Tell them you are sponsoring Hike For A Cure hiker Gena Berglund.
Thank you for considering sponsoring me. Feel free to share this e-mail with friends and family!
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If you sponsor Gena using PayPal or calling HAA could you send me a quick e-mail note and I will send them on to Gena, so she can keep track of her donations.
This is a good cause, folks. I know there are a lot of causes out there that I personally would like to help, but I just can’t do it all. But, this one is close to home for my cousin and I’d like to help her out as much as possible. Please consider donating just $5.
Thanks for your time. Peace out!
Julie
