By Prince George-Valemount Liberal MLA Shirley Bond

A walk to raise awareness

Jul 3, 2019 | 9:26 AM

The back of the t-shirt said “Hard word. Harder Disease” And as I learn more about Scleroderma that certainly seems to be true. June is Scleroderma Awareness Month and Bill and I were very glad that we were able to attend the Scleroderma Walk in Valemount recently. There are very few walks held in British Columbia and it is fantastic to see the support for the event in Valemount.

It is very likely that many of you have not heard of Scleroderma. It is a rare chronic autoimmune disease that affects more than 2000 people in B.C. alone. The name is derived from the Greek word “sclerosis” meaning hard and “derma” meaning skin; translated “hard skin.” While it sounds very straight forward, that isn’t the case. You see, the “hard skin” may be visible when the skin is affected or it can be invisible when only internal organs are involved; or it could be a combination of both. There is no known cause, there is no cure and it is very difficult to diagnose. Every patient faces unique challenges.

Valemount is the site of a Scleroderma Walk because of Teressa Colosimo. She was diagnosed in 2011 and realized that she didn’t know very much about the disease and had very few answers to questions she would be asked. She decided that she needed to do her part to increase awareness and raise funds for research. She knew that she could count on her family, friends and the wonderful community of Valemount. And she was right.

The 3rd Annual Walk began at Centennial Park and followed the Bigfoot Trail for 2.5 km. The walk was followed by a potluck lunch, games and face painting for the kids and a bake sale. There was an excellent turnout and all of the money raised goes directly to support research to find a cure.

One of the speakers at the Valemount walk was Dr. Kevin Keen, a faculty member at UNBC who is currently working as part of the Scleroderma Association of BC Research Project. Dr. Keen provided us with the background of the project, an update on new staff that will be added to the team and a general overview of the work to date. Dr. Keen’s comments inspired the walk participants, reminding us that our contributions and commitment to raising funds and awareness are important pieces of finding a cure and supporting those whose lives are changed when they receive a diagnosis of scleroderma.

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I want to thank Teressa for sharing the story of her journey with us. When I heard about the walk last year, I made a promise to try and attend and do my part to increase awareness. As you read these words, I encourage you to do some homework, talk about the disease and consider how you can help support Teressa and many others like her as they face their battle with Scleroderma. For further information you can go to sclerodermabc.ca