Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis in Mamaroneck

Everyone knows that it’s not easy living with sarcoidosis. I take that back. Hardly anyone knows. In fact, most people have never even heard of it, and don’t understand when we try to explain. That just makes it even harder for us to get through life with this disease. It can make us feel so alone.

I know it was like that for me. After years of bouncing from doctor to doctor, being dismissed and disregarded with no diagnosis or just the wrong diagnosis and a series of treatments that didn’t help, I was finally diagnosed with sarcoidosis in late 2015. I’d looked up everything I could online, and spoken with dozens of doctors, but I never actually met anyone with my disease … until I attended a Sarcoidosis Awareness Walk. There was an instant connection, an instant bond with the people I met there, and we have stayed in touch since that day … but that walk was 2 hours away from where I live. There was nothing – and no one that I knew of – closer to me.

That’s why I’ve started the KISS Westchester Sarcoidosis Walk ‘n’ Roll, and I hope you’ll join me. The event is in Mamaroneck (map/directions), but may draw participants from all over Westchester, NYC, and some areas of Connecticut. It’s a chance for us to come together as a community to know that we are not alone in this fight, a chance for us to raise awareness about this disease, and a chance to raise funds for research towards better treatments and someday, a cure. There’s no set distance: we’re on a track, so you can walk (or roll) as much or as little as you’re able. The important thing is to be there.

You can register here, and join us on Facebook for the latest updates. If you have any questions, contact AmbassadorKerryW@stopsarcoidosis.org at any time.

Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DOE-SIS) is an inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of granulomas, tiny clumps of inflammatory cells, in one or more organs of the body. When the immune system goes into overdrive and too many of these clumps form, they can interfere with an organ’s structure and function. Sarcoidosis can affect any organ in the body, and can cause systemic, or whole body, symptoms as well. There is no cure for sarcoidosis, but there is hope.