Dear Friends and Family,
“I can’t find it, Mom!” six year old Marcus is frustrated. The lid to his red marker has rolled onto the floor and he simply cannot find it while I am able to spy it from across the room.
“Close to the chair, Mark,” I direct him. “Aha!” he cries triumphantly, “You can’t escape so easily!” he says to the marker lid.
These moments happen on a regular basis in our home. As you may know, our six year old twins, Marcus and Lucas, are affected by the eye disease, Retinitis Pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease that will rob them of their sight within the not so distant future unless a treatment can be found through laboratory research. “You can’t escape so easily,” is our response to this disease.
As you may know, we have been supporting the Foundation Fighting Blindness (FFB) for the last year and now we are pleased to announce that we will be co-chairing the Foundation’s first West Michigan Vision Walk. FFB is a nationwide organization and is the biggest fundraiser in support of the research for treating and/or curing these eye diseases. 80% of every dollar they raise goes directly to this research.
In the last few years, the FFB has initiated and funded the first-ever human clinical trials for LCA, a disease that causes blindness from birth; Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a disease that causes loss of peripheral vision in all ages, and Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 55. This research is very promising for our family’s future and we strongly admire the FFB’s dedication. Proceeds from Vision Walk 2011 will support the Foundation’s strong commitment to finding treatments, preventions and cures for sight-robbing retinal diseases.
Every day 10 million Americans, including my dad, experience the adverse effects these diseases have on their lives and on the lives of their families. My dad now must use a cane to navigate his own wooded property and has often become disoriented. My husband must do all of the night time driving for our family. We took the boys out of soccer because they couldn’t follow the ball across the field.
That is why I am asking you to support our team, “Team Westphal”, by walking with us or sponsoring us at the West Michigan Visionwalk, Saturday, October 22, 2011, at Millenium Park in Grand Rapids. Our team’s goal is to personally raise $2,000.00 for the walk. Please consider donating to us online at www.visionwalk.org. Otherwise you can mail a check made payable to the FFB at our home address: 127 Port Sheldon Rd. SW Grandville MI 49418
We sincerely appreciate any help that you can provide to our family and to others who are affected with retinal disease. Together we won’t let these diseases escape so easily- together we will walk toward a cure. We look forward to seeing you at the walk.
