Fundraiser for a friend

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  • DD214

    Founder
    Apr 26, 2005
    14,080
    St Mary's County
    **UPDATE: Thanks to the generosity of those who donated, MDShooters raised $500 in donations. Thank you very much!**

    A friend of mine needs some help reaching her goal of raising money for a fundraiser for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis research. She is running in the Virginia Wine Country Half Marathon in order to raise funds for The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

    Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis are autoimmune deficiency diseases of the digestive tract that affect 1.4 million Americans. Symptoms vary in each patient but can be very painful and very often lead to life altering surgery. Currently there are no cures for these diseases.

    This is not any kind of "official" MDShooters sponsorship or fund drive, just me using my connections to try and help a friend raise funds to help a lot of sick people find a cure for a terrible affliction. That said, any funds raised will be donated on behalf of Maryland Shooters so it is another good way to show that we are involved in our community in ways other than just firearm related stuff.

    If you are interested in pitching in any amount is appreciated. It all adds up. I will be collecting funds for a few days and then will present any money raised on behalf of our group.

    Thanks for you help!
     
    Last edited:

    Jeffmohn

    Member
    Feb 26, 2012
    28
    my wife has chrons.... ugly disease to have! Glad to help sent a little thanks for the opportunity
     

    smokey

    2A TEACHER
    Jan 31, 2008
    31,412
    Ahhh I have close experience with this one. Asacol, mercaptopurine, and prednisone can sure get old quick....especially prednisone.

    Let me break down what goes on to make it more personal:
    You are exhausted every morning from waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. You're also exhausted from your body not getting good nutrition, and from being anemic because your intestines have been actively bleeding from ulcers. Your red blood cell production is lagging behind and now your red blood cells are not only fewer in number, but also not fully formed.

    You're constantly suffering flu-like digestive symptoms. You're gut hurts badly. You are KEENLY aware of where the closest bathroom is anywhere you go. The first thing you do when you enter any store, restaurant, bar, or friend's house is look for the nearest bathroom. You feel tied to it, like a ball and chain. You're scared to go on dates, because you'll be embarrassed to have to excuse yourself one or more times..hopefully you can get there in time. And what if you get back to her place? You're scared to fool around because your stomach might act up and you could get out of the mood...then she'll think something's wrong with you, or that you aren't interested in her.

    The drugs never stop. You're taking 4 pills of asacol, 3 times a day. You're taking your mercaptopurine to shut down your immune response(that'll show them damned ctyotoxins), and you're taking lots of prednisone to get the inflamation under control during the big flares. The prednisone makes you feel warm all the time. You can't sleep and feel hungry all the time. Where you were losing weight before, now you can't stop eating and the drug is causing your face to swell up and become round. You don't like looking in mirrors anymore. You've become easily agitated and feel almost manic, not like yourself. At least your symptoms are going down...

    You also get other side effects, like headaches. Your eyeballs literally swell from inflamation. That and the constant storm going on in your intestines combine to give you regular migraine-like headaches. You become pale and sick-looking. Your skin breaks out and you feel drained.

    In your spare time, you go online and search for any answers. You read new research suggesting a genetic link to a gene sequence regulating metabolism. Your research points you in all kinds of directions. You look at hydrogen peroxide and metabolic by-products....then look at suppliments you can take like selenium to try to help break them down better. You look at sleep cycles and patterns of behavior leading up to a flare. You look at probiotic treatments as a possible answer and start pounding yogurt. What if antioxidants help? You drink as much tea as possible and increase your intake of cinnamon, blueberries and vegetables. You read about surgery. Theyre doing new colonectomies where you can avoid the hole in your side and the bag, and retain "normal" function....but that really never returns you to normal and you can't turn back once you've had it.

    There's so much that's unknown about crohns and UC and it has a devastating impact on the lives of people it effects. A box of 9mm is goin for about $12-14. Cut your range trip 50 rnds short and send some loot to fund research for this. It's definately worth it. It's payday today.
     

    DD214

    Founder
    Apr 26, 2005
    14,080
    St Mary's County
    Bump. I'll leave this up for a couple more days. How about this - a number of you over the past few weeks have asked how to donate to the site. I'd like to redirect those donations to a charitable cause, so consider this it.
     

    Hotrod Diesel

    Here for the Beer...
    Mar 7, 2012
    1,312
    Parkville
    I too have Crohns, I was diagnosed just this year. I will be donating.

    and I Personally say thank you to each and everyone of you for donating. I have really learned to enjoy life for what time you have of "normal life" as the times that are not normal are hell. If you have nothing to be thankful for, be thankful you have a healthy bowel system... I am currently in remission, and I love every minute of it.
     

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