Greetings everyone,
Welcome to my website! I hope you were able to view the slide show describing my journey over the last 15 years with Juvenile Dermatomyositis. Composing those details was humbling and knowing I was going to expose all of you to my battle made me feel vulnerable and blessed all at once. It further enhanced my commitment and strong desire to find support for Cure JM and be part of the team who will help find a cure.
As you consider making a donation, here are a few insights about this incredibly rare disease and the impact your donation, no matter what size, will have on thousands of amazing little kids and the team searching for a cure to save them.
Currently there are 5,000 known cases. You have a better chance of winning the lottery than contracting this disease. However, it is estimated that a third of the children will suffer most of their lives, while another third will experience temporary remissions and the other third will experience a permanent remission (no medications, no symptoms). With such a rare disease, the harsh reality is there are cases that are identified after it is too late.
Over the last 15 years, I have encountered numerous medical physicians for a variety of reasons; most of them knew nothing of the disease and looked at me in disbelief. Accurate diagnosis in the early stages of onset is critical to survival. We need to educate more doctors, continue with the research, and support the experts who are making progress towards discovering the cure.
Your generosity will go directly to the Cure JM Foundation; created by a group of fabulous parents dedicated to raising funds for medical professionals to find a cure, while also providing support and information for families suffering from this disease.
Over the past 3 years, Cure JM was able to grant my doctor, Dr. Lauren Pachman, $1 million to create the Center of Excellence for JM Research at Children’s Memorial Hospital of Chicago. Significant advances were made with this grant, which we need to renew and keep the research going.
Dr. Pachman is the leading expert on this disease and the woman who saved my life. Please help me support her and her team to continue their diligent work towards finding a cure for all of the little ones who are sick and who will become sick in the future.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration!