Rick Koser's Fundraising Page
As some of you may or may not be aware of, I have a close friend who has Huntington's Disease. I have joined in the fight against this horrible genetic killer and I am forming a team of walkers to support the cause. Please consider sponsoring me to help raise awareness of this disease and to further research until a cure is found. You deductions are tax deductible and I appreciate whatever you can give to help me in my efforts to support HD patients everywhere.
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.