FIRST-EVER “AUTOIMMUNE WALK” CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED BY AMERICAN AUTOIMMUNE RELATED DISEASES ASSOCIATIONActress Kellie Martin and Former American Idol Contestant Leslie Hunt Invite People to “Link Together” and “Walk for a Cure”
Newswise — EVANSTON, IL – The 50 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune disease now have the opportunity to get involved and find a cure through the first-ever national “Autoimmune Walk: Linking Together for a Cure” campaign sponsored by the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA).
The Autoimmune Walks are being conducted “virtually” and in Evanston, Illinois. A virtual walk can be done by anyone, anywhere in the world, at any time that is convenient. A local walk is scheduled for Metro Chicago, Saturday, June 2, at Evanston Township High School located at 1600 Dodge Avenue in Evanston, Illinois. Registration begins at 9:00am and the Walk begins at 10:00am. Former American Idol star, Leslie Hunt, who suffers from lupus, is scheduled to perform. Evanston Alderman Peter Braithwaite will also be in attendance. “Army Wives” Star and AARDA Spokesperson, actress Kellie Martin, is urging patients, their families and friends to join her in an effort to bring awareness to the over 100 autoimmune diseases that plague Americans.
“Autoimmune disease affected my family in a terrible way when I lost my sister and best friend, Heather, to lupus in 1998,” explains Kellie. “Since Heather’s death, I have worked with AARDA to raise awareness of autoimmune diseases. Now I have the opportunity to invite others who have been affected to join the fight – and walk.”
“Autoimmune diseases run in families and they have a common thread that links them all together,” says Kellie. “This is an incredible opportunity for families touched by these diseases to ‘link together’ in support of autoimmune disease research and patient services.”
Autoimmune disease (AD) disproportionately affects women. Of the 50 million Americans living and coping with ADs, more than 75 percent – some 30 million – are women. AD is one of the top 10 leading causes of death of women under the age of 65. It encompasses more than 100 diseases, including type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, Sjogren’s, Crohn’s disease and lupus. It is responsible for more than $100 billion in direct health care costs annually.
For more information or to sign up for a walk, visit AutoimmuneWalk.org.
American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) is the nation's only non-profit organization dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity as a category of disease and a major women's health issue and promoting a collaborative research effort in order to find better treatments and a cure for all autoimmune diseases. For more information, please visit www.aarda.org.
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