Thank you for visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to make a contribution to our fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!
Hello! My name is Cyndi (Van Orsdoll) Troyer and I thank you for taking your time to read into why I have a fundraising page for the Huntington's Disease Society of America Team Hope Walk-Northern Indiana.
Several years ago, I was blessed by reconnecting with a wonderful childhood friend. It took many emails and phone calls to catch up on what we had missed over the years. When all was said and done, it was like we never had a lapse of time in our friendship. All of my friends and their families hold a special place in my heart. During one of our "catch up" phone calls, I was told that he had Huntington's Disease. "What?", I said. I had never heard of HD before. In summary, I was told that "HD is a devastating, hereditary, degenerative brain disorder and there is no way to stop or reverse the course of HD. There is no treatment that halts the progression, which leads to death after 10-25 years. There is no cure". For some, it is sort of like having Alzheimer's and Parkinson's combined. 1 out of every 10,000 Americans has HD. Each of their siblings and children has a 50/50 risk of developing the disease. Eventually, a person with HD becomes totally dependent upon others for his or her care. My heart broke. At that time, I did not know what I could say or what I could do to support him and his family. Then he told me about HDSA and later I went to hdsa.org and hdsaindiana.org to read up on it. I read that with fundraising support, HDSA funds both basic and clinical research, provides services and referrals to HD families trying to cope with the devastating effects of this disease and educates the public and healthcare professionals about this fatal genetic disorder. It was clear that HDSA really does provide the vital link between care and cure.
Indiana is so blessed. Our state has a HD Center of Excellence in Indianapolis. Our fundraising dollars play a crucial role in supporting our center, research, services and all of our HD families in Indiana. Indiana has one of the highest recorded HD populations in the U.S. There are over 700 diagnosed HD families in the state of Indiana. HD affects the lives of entire families...emotionally, socially, and economically. After surfing through the HDSA web pages, I thought I should participate in a Team Hope walk. After I realized there was none in our area, I spoke with a few of our other childhood friends and we decided to organize and hold a HDSA Team Hope Walk right here in Northern Indiana where Trey grew up and where several other area families battling HD live. So, here we all are :)
Please make a donation, in any amount, to my firstgiving page in support of our dear friend and his family and all of the other families who are fighting daily to beat this horrific disease.
Please join us Saturday, June 16, 2012 at Discovery Middle School in Granger, Indiana. Sign-in and late registration is at 9am. The walk is at 10am. We continue to look for walkers, volunteers, and sponsors. Please visit www.hdsa.org and http://www.hdsa.org/inch/index.html for additional information. If you have any questions, please contact me at troyerhd@hotmail.com.
Thank you very much for your donations, thoughts and prayers for our HD families.
Sincerely,
Cyndi and Family