I just wanted to drop a quick note in here that Bug completed her second Arthritis Walk a week ago! She walked almost 3 miles, with a couple of breaks, and had a wonderful time. The great news was that this year our team was 15 members, compared to 5 last year. Considering 13 of us live 1.5 hours away or more, that was AWESOME! I was so happy to have so many people take the time out of their busy lives and come support Bug. She had one of her good friends from school come, and even though we offered to drive him his whole family came along too. And, her therapist came and joined us with one of her friends and her dog. It was absolutely wonderful.

To top it off, we brought in about $500.00 more this year than last year. Our team raised $1350 - possibly more if a couple of people's company matching programs come through for us. Next year we want to bring in $2000.00, and hopefully have at least 10 more people join us.

If you're wondering why we do the arthritis walk, it's because Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome falls in the arthritis family. :) The walk allows Bug to feel like she is actively doing something about her condition, and to top it off the walk falls in May, which is National Ehlers-Danlos Awareness Month. So we're kind of killing two birds with one stone.

So - if you don't know what you can do to raise awareness for EDS, try participating in your local arthritis walk. Wear a shirt that has an EDS message, or form a team supporting EDS. It's a great way to empower yourself and raise awareness at the same time.

http://lmt.arthritis.org/