Steve's journey of 2711 miles is for DDD patients. Steve, besides being a Prof., and a hero, is also a professional storyteller. Every choice we make creates a story- sometimes the stories are boring, exciting, triumphant or brilliant failures. But they are ours. Steve is setting out to create some stories about his trip and intrinsic to his story, is the story of how this trip will impact the lives of many others- me and you, for starters.
Kidneeds does not have any federal or state grant money or any major funding sources. 100% of Kidneeds money for research comes from the friends and families of DDD patients. None of them are professional fundraisers and in stepping outside their comfort zone, each person who has held a fundraiser has a story to share. Fundraisers, please share your fundraising challenges and unexpected, funny occurrences at fundraisers.
Fellow DDD patients, Steve wants to hear stories of your challenges with DDD and how you overcame them. He wants to hear how someone went the extra mile to help you on your disease journey. You don't have to leave your name if you don't want to. You can even email them to me and I'll get them to Steve, but I hope you'll let them be shared. Your stories become part of Steve's journey for the 2711 miles. He is looking to how each of us has overcame challenges for his inspiration and motivation to keep going when the road less traveled rises 1,000 ft in a mile.
The Kidneeds story is very like this journey. It is a road that many believed we couldn't travel to the end where a treatment lay. There were many reasons, the disease was too complex; no one was studying it, no one wanted to study it, the fact that there aren't too many of us to study and the bit about there being no way to fund research. The choice we all make is the same as Steve has made three times. We can sit on the sidelines and hope, or we can jump in and do our best to change the outcome. Steve could easily have stayed on the sidelines. It would have been the wisest thing to do for his own safety. But he didn't and 6 people are alive today because of his choice and his courage.
We are getting close to a treatment due to the extraordinary committment of the Kidneeds' scientists and the research participation of some of the patients. Steve has already titled the story of this journey "Completing Stories" because he wants to help us complete the Kidneeds' story- find the treatment. We invite you to become part of this story by sponsoring miles, getting others to sponsor them and sharing your stories. We hope you choose to join Steve, who is known for his courage to act on behalf of others. Because, the others in this story are the DDD patients and families.
Thanks,
Jenna
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