Hi Family & Friends,

Thank you for visiting my FMDSA fundraising page!  I am hoping to raise money for the Fibromuscular Dysplasia Society of America.  The FMDSA is a completely non-profit organization and the Tax Deductible money you donate goes directly to help raise awareness of FMD and fund the patient registry/research. http://fmdsa.org/

You’ve probably never heard of the disease Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD).  You're not alone; neither did I until this summer (2009).  Check out this article that recently hit the front page of the WSJ for a quick read on the disease. 

I know that these are tough times for all.  But if you would consider even a small donation, your contribution will go far to help raise awareness of this disease.  I thank you in advance for considering my request!

My Story

At age 23 I applied for a life insurance policy and in the process found out I had high blood pressure (BP).  The first doctor I saw said, "Oh I wouldn't worry about it, you're young" and then dismissed me after a BP reading of over 170/110 (normal is 120/80 or lower).  I didn't accept that answer and went to nephrologists, radiologists, cardiologists, etc.  Every one of them thought I must have a problem with my kidney function.  But they never thought to check the arteries that actually feed the blood to my kidneys.  Because they were unable to find a cause for my hypertension, doctors attributed it to stress.  They also dismissed it as "primary” high blood pressure, a term I believe means “we just really have no idea what is wrong with you.”   

15 years later and right after the WSJ article, my cardiologist ordered a test for FMD.  The radiology report concluded that I do have this "string of beads" that no one wants in both of my renal arteries as well as a small aneurysm.  I immediately booked an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Olin, a leading FMD expert and researcher, in New York and flew from Northern California to get more answers about my diagnosis, the disease and suggested treatment. 

With Dr. Olin’s confident referral, I am now a patient of Dr. Dake at Stanford University, just 15 minutes from my residence.  I was treated with balloon angioplasty of the renal arteries on October 13th.  I am now waiting to see how well my blood pressure stays controlled off of my medication.  We also found that my aneurysm is bigger than originally thought (5mm) and I had them hold off on a stent.  I'll go back to have that checked again in 6 months and then make a decision.   

I am one of the lucky ones.  I had the resources to fly to NY to see the best and get answers.  But not everyone is so fortunate and most doctors don’t even know to look for this disease.  My goal is to help raise awareness of FMD throughout the medical community and provide information on how to properly treat it.  

It is with your donation to FMDSA that we can help raise awareness and even save lives!

Thank you for your consideration.

Tracy