Thank you for finding your way to my Fundraising Page, as I kick off my Second Annual Walk for Scleroderma.

I was first diagnosed with Lupus in August of 2004. The diagnosis of Scleroderma (i.e., sclero = hardening; derma = skin) came in January 2009, after lots of tests, procedures, and consults/appointments with various doctors across the country, with consistent findings of hardening of the skin on my hands and face and, more importantly, at the bases of my lung tissue.

I have been receiving IV chemotherapy treaments once monthly since November, for the purpose of halting further scarring in my lungs. This, however, is not a cure...That's where YOU come in!

First of all, I'd love for you to join "Kimme's Crew" and walk with me on June 27th - 10AM sign-in and 12PM kick off from the Plymouth Rock Memorial in Plymouth, MA. If you have any questions or want to let me know that you'll be there, send me an e-mail at kimme.norton@gmail.com or call. I can't wait to see you there! The following is a link to the website for the Scleroderma Foundation of New England, which provides more information: http://www.scleroderma.org/chapter/newengland/2010PlymouthWalk.htm

Any and all support you can provide me with as I travel this unknown  journey will be much appreciated. Although fundraising will directly affect research, my real mission here is to spread awareness and educate those people in my immediate life, such that a larger radius of individuals will develop a working knowledge of Scleroderma and how this autoimmune disease can affect the individuals that are afflicted with it.

Here is a basic summary of how Scleroderma is affecting my lungs that my doctor shared with me:

Autoimmune diseases are those which, for whatever reason, incorrectly alert the body that it is not functioning properly. This is what is happening in the case of my lungs. To correct for this problem, my body is sending white blood cells to my lungs to "heal" them. Because this "healing" is not truly indicated, there is a build-up of white blood cells (as if to create a scab, as it does on our outer skin), which are leading to the formation of scar tissue. This is therefore resulting in a limited lung capacity and poor CO2 and O2 exchange rate....

The chemotherapy that I have been receiving is intended to kill off the excess production of white blood cells, and so far, they believe it IS working! 

Thank you again for visiting my page. I hope you found the information that I provided you with to be interesting and worthy of further discussion. = )

 

Love to all,

Kimme

 

 

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 my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you think might want to donate too!