Hi Friends and Family!

Thank you for visiting our personal fundraising page to support our 6th annual Stroll for Scleroderma! Jacek and I have organized this event for the past 5 years with the help from family and friends. We do this in honor of my dad Don Legere, who suffers from Systemic Scleroderma, the most serious form of the disease. Thanks to many of you, our event grows every year in participants and donations. In the last 5 years combined we've been able to raise close to $40,000, all of which went to Scleroderma Foundation New England to help raise awareness and find a cure.

For the past 2 years the walk has been virtual due to the pandemic, so we are thrilled to announce that this year it will be in person! We hope to see many of you there!

As so many of you know, this cause is very near and dear to our hearts. My dad has been fighting Scleroderma for 14 years. Dad received a stem-cell transplant as part of a trial study in 2015 and we had hoped that the transplant would stop the progression of his disease. We found out in early 2017 that it did not. Since there is still no known cure for Scleroderma, dad is on chemo for the remainder of his life, in order to slow the progression of his disease. He struggles daily with the effects of the autoimmune disease, as well as the other diseases it has brought on, such as Interstitial Lung Disease, Pulminary Arterial Hypertension, and Raynaud’s Syndrome.

There are many families who are not as fortunate as we are. Over the years since we've been a part of the Scleroderma community, my parents have said goodbye to many friends who suffered with scleroderma. Our goal with this Stroll is to come together to honor all the people and families who are affected by this disease, and to raise money in hopes to help find the cause and a cure for Scleroderma in their lifetime.

Thank you so much for your support.

Love,

Maria & Jacek

About Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a chronic, autoimmune disease. There is no known cause and no known cure YET. The immune system in a patient attacks its own body. Scleroderma means “hard skin”. However, the disease causes serious damage to internal organs including the lungs, heart and gastrointestinal tract. There are some medications which can ease some symptoms but there is NO cure.

June is Scleroderma Awareness month. My family and the Scleroderma Foundation are grateful for those who help raise awareness and funds to support research and create hope for scleroderma patients and their families.