Twenty years ago, Melissa Knopper was an energetic 24-year-old with the world at her feet and the promise of adventure. It was 1992. She and her then boyfriend were in the midst of an epic hiking trip that would span the entire length of California, about 1,400 miles. As they trekked along the Pacific Crest Trail –about 10 days into the trip-- steep in the Mojave Desert, Melissa’s right knee became a problem. “My right knee started to feel like a painful, rusty hinge. It refused to bend and I could not walk,” says Melissa of her experience that day. Because Melissa lived by the code of “no pain, no gain,” she somehow powered herself forward after only a few days of rest. The onset of winter forced the couple to break for the season, vowing to return and continue the full length of the trail.
Now at 43 years old, Melissa hasn’t yet completed her journey. Shortly after returning from the trip in 1992, Melissa learned that her knee problem on the hike was, in fact, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), something that, after some consideration, came as little surprise as autoimmune disease is present on both sides of her family. Faced with a life of chronic illness, Melissa was determined not to miss out on the opportunity to have children. She chose to discontinue use of her arthritis medications in order to facilitate her getting pregnant and having a child. According to Melissa, “After two years of severe pain and permanent damage in my wrist and knees, I was rewarded with my greatest treasure in life: my daughter Rose, age 8."
While experiencing years of living with the debilitating effects of RA along with the demands of marriage and bringing up a child, Melissa has always been nagged by the fact that there remains 250 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail that she hasn’t conquered. Most people would see completing that journey as a pipe dream, but Melissa is not ‘most people.’ When a friend approached her recently to inquire whether she’d like to join him on the trail this summer to complete her dream, 20 years in the making, she accepted. “So, at the end of May, my friend and I will fly out to Los Angeles, don our packs and finish that last piece of the Pacific Crest Trail puzzle. If all goes well, it should take less than three weeks,” says Melissa.
Melissa credits her ability to make this trip with her stern inability to give up on a dream, coupled with the quality of life-saving biologic therapies that she has been taking since her daughter was a toddler. According to Melissa, biologics have truly helped her to regain her energy and ability to function fully in the world. Additionally, she has chosen to turn this phenomenal journey into a fundraiser for autoimmune disease research, awareness, and education by asking her friends, family, and the general public to make a donation in honor of her 20-year-dream and the soon-to-be completed trek across the Californian Pacific Crest Trail.
To support Melissa in her fundraising efforts, please make a donation through the donate button below.
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