HDSA Team Hope Orange County
It is time for the 7th annual Orange County Huntington's Disease Society of America Team Hope Walk for a Cure on Saturday, September 26, 2009, at 8:00am at the UC Irvine Campus. This annual event is held to provide awareness, education and funds for HD research to find a CURE for this devastating disease!
Huntington's is a rare inherited disease — there are an estimated 30,000 U.S. patients — that typically strikes in the late 30s or early 40s. What starts as uncontrollable twitches and jerks and deterioration of mental abilities inexorably worsens until patients can barely eat, speak or walk. Death occurs a decade or more after symptoms begin.
One mutated gene is the cause. A child of a Huntington's patient has a 50-50 chance of inheriting that gene, and anyone who does will develop symptoms at some point if they live long enough. Scientists discovered the gene in 1993, giving families the hard choice of whether to be tested to learn who escaped that fate and who didn't. Presently, there is no effective treatment or cure.
You may join HDSA Orange County in our fight against HD by doing the following:
1) WALK with us on September 26th
We will have food, fun things to do for the kids, an easy walk route, raffle prizes and a live auction.
2) DONATE to HDSA to help find a cure
3) SPONSOR by becoming a walk sponsor or preferred provider for the walk. Email Chrystelle@hdsaoc.org for sponsorship levels and more information.
Any amount you can give (is tax-deductible) and will bring us closer to the overall Walk Goal of raising $150,000 for HD research. Please visit HDSA Orange County’s website at www.hdsaoc.org.
Thank you so much for your continued support of our efforts.
Sincerely,
HDSA Orange County