AMERICAN AUTOIMMUNE RELATED DISEASES ASSOCIATION "AUTOIMMUNE WALK" CAMPAIGN A SUCCESS

Celebrity autoimmune disease advocates and "virtual walkers" pitch-in with support

EASTPOINTE, MI - July 30, 2012: More than $60,000 has been raised for research by the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association's (AARDA) "Linking for a Cure" campaign. The campaign walks were held in the Midwest (Chicago) area, the TriState (NY) region and the Washington DC Metro area. In a show of support, "Army Wives" star and AARDA national spokesperson, Kellie Martin, attended the DC Walk and "American Idol" alum Leslie Hunt performed at the Midwest Walk.

The 50 million Americans who suffer from autoimmune disease still have the opportunity to get involved and raise funds to find a cure through virtual walks. A virtual walk can occur any place and at any time. The walk can be held by walking around the local track or around the neighborhood.

"Autoimmune disease affected my family in a terrible way when I lost my sister and best friend, Heather, to lupus in 1998," explains Kellie. "Since Heather's death, I have worked with AARDA to raise awareness of autoimmune diseases. Now I have the opportunity to invite others who have been affected to join the fight - and walk."

Virtual walkers can earn great prizes for their efforts. The main goal is to urge patients, their families and friends to join together in an effort to bring awareness to the over 100 autoimmune diseases that plague Americans.

"Autoimmune diseases run in families and they have a common thread that links them all together," says Kellie. "This is an incredible opportunity for families touched by these diseases to ‘link together' in support of autoimmune disease research and patient services."

For more information about a virtual walk, visit AutoimmuneWalk.org.

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About AARDA
AARDA is the only national nonprofit health agency dedicated to bringing a national focus to autoimmunity, the major cause of serious chronic diseases. Approximately 50 million Americans, 20 percent of the population or one in five people, suffer from autoimmune diseases. Women are more likely than men to be affected; some estimates say that 75 percent of those affected--some 30 million people--are women. Still, with these statistics, autoimmunity is rarely discussed as a women's health issue. www.aarda.org

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