By Linda McGuirl
NJPDSA (New Jersey Platelet Disorder Support Association). is holding the annual “Pump it Up for Platelets” 5K Walk/Run in memory of Erik Anderson on Saturday June 23rd to help raise money for our parent organization PDSA. All proceeds will go directly to this non-profit organization. Donations to PDSA support life-saving research, education, and advocacy initiatives to help bring an end to a rare blood disorder ITP (immune thrombocytopenia).
ITP (also known as immune or idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) is an autoimmune disease. In autoimmune diseases, the body mounts an immune attack toward one or more seemingly normal organ systems. In ITP, platelets are the target. They are marked as foreign by the immune system and eliminated in the spleen and the liver, and by other means. In addition to increased platelet destruction, some people with ITP also have impaired platelet production. Read more about ITP and PDSA by clicking the links in the left column.
Once again we are honoring the memory of Erik Anderson, 18, of Bridgewater, New Jersey, who passed away on May 16, 2011 due to complications of a bone marrow transplant. Erik had rare immune disorders, including ITP. Erik was an active PDSA member. He also helped with the New Jersey PDSA local support group for people with platelet conditions.
Date/Time: Saturday, June 23, 2012, 10:00am
Location: Pleasant Valley Park (Event begins at the Hut)
3405 Valley Road, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Contact: Linda McGuirl, NJPDSA Facilitator, 908-764-1819 or
Email: [email protected]
Link to Register/Donate:
http://pdsa.donorpages.com/BaskingridgeNJEriksWalk/
Just imagine if your phone rang at three o’clock in the morning, waking you out of a deep sleep. The doctor tells you to come straight to the emergency room n not to brush your teeth, take a shower, and to be very careful not to bump yourself. “Couldn’t it wait until the morning?" you ask. The doctor says…"No, you could bleed to death."
Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP) affects almost 10 times as many people as hemophilia, yet most people know nothing about it. This lack of public awareness leaves many ITP patients feeling isolated and alone, and is the main reason why there is so little support for research on ITP and the lack of advancement in treatment. ITP is a growing but little understood health problem that most people (including some medical professionals) have never heard of. It affects individuals of all ages, sexes, and ethnic origins.
Fortunately, substantial progress in understanding the mechanisms of ITP has been made in recent years. New treatments are now available. As research continues, however, the challenge continues to educate healthcare professionals and the public about this disorder. ITP patients and caregivers often feel they know more about the disease than their healthcare providers. As a result, there has become an increasing need for ITP Centers of Excellence to study, treat, and accurately record data to further understand the disease. Similar centers have proven highly successful for studying, recording, and treating other bleeding disorders like hemophilia and sickle cell disease.
While there is no cure for ITP, more is known about the disease each year and new treatments become available. But there are still so many unanswered questions.
Our Pump It Up For Platelets! event will, with help from the Platelet Disorder Support Association (www.pdsa.org), raise awareness for this poorly understood and under-recognized bleeding disorder and will support programs and research into better diagnosis and treatment of ITP.
Here is a links to the event:
Platelet Disorder Support Association Baskingridge, NJ -Erik’s Walk Hosted By DonorPages
Thank you for helping our New Jersey Support Group to help bring an end ITP!

