Thank you for visiting my fundraising page!
Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to support my fundraising efforts.

     As some of you know I was diagnosed with Cerebral Cavernous Malformations (CCM's) Sept. 2006.    

     This illness is not well know.  It is an unpredictable scary illness.  It affects approx. 1 in 150 people.   The only solution today for those affected by the illness is to remove the CCM via invasive surgery and to dull the pain with meds.  Due to the location of my CCM's (I have 3 big CCM's and multiple tiny ones) surgery is not an option at this point.  All I know is that when I've had my bleeds (2 major bleeds, possibly more) it is not a pain or anxiety that I wish on anyone. One of my CCM's, or aliens as I like to refer to them,is around 20 mm in size. Currently there is no cure and researchers are not sure how they begin, what triggers a bleed or how to stop them.  Since I have the familial type of the illness I have a 50% chance of passing it on to my children, and future generations also.  This is why I need your help.  It needs to stop.   

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

1.  $15 sends one blood kit out to a new DNA/Tissue bank donor.  Every new donor provides us with more resources for our researchers.
2.  $17 pays for everything Angioma Alliance does for 1 hour.
3.  $30 gets our newsletter out to 20 families, many of whom have no internet access.
4.  $55 keeps our website up for 1 month which allows us to continue supporting each other on this forum as well as continue to provide information both to newcomers and old timers.
5.  $100 pays for a one-day visit to Washington to talk with government officials about cavernous angiomas.
6.  $150 pays for a room for two young researchers to attend our scientific workshop.  Who knows - these may be the two who end up holding the key to a cure!
7.  $200 keeps our toll-free support and information line and our internet access going for 1 month.  As you can imagine, these are essential to fulfilling our mission.
8.  $225 pays for meeting room, audio/visual expenses, materials, and food for 1 scientist attending our scientific workshop
10.  $250 pays for meeting room, audio/visual expenses, materials, and food for one member attending our family conference.

For those of you who have friends or family or work for companies with more to give:

1.  $1000 is the top prize for our annual Neurology Resident's Award which encourages young doctors to learn about this illness.  $500 is the 2nd prize and $250 is the 3rd prize.
2.  $2500 pays the expenses involved in exhibiting at one medical convention. Exhibiting helps us to receive better care no matter where we live.  We would like to exhibit at 3 or more conventions each year.
3.  $3000 allows us to re-print our patient information brochures and distribute them to neurologists and neurosurgeons nationally.
4.  $10,000 pays for one year of our Scientific Workshop.
5.  $13,000 pays for the recent and ongoing creation of our patient registry database structure that is capturing the information that may provide answers to why some lesions hemorrhage.
6.  $20,000 pays for one year of our Family Conference.
7.  $35,000 would allow us to fund a pilot study by a post-doctoral researcher that could be leveraged to obtain a $100,000+ NIH grant.
 

(note do not post on facebook)