ITP and Me
As you may or may not know, I have ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura). My immune system is a perpetual state of confusion to where it thinks it should attack and kill the platelets in my blood. Platelets are responsible for blood clotting, so ultimately this is a bleeding disorder. My disease is chronic. I've had it for 20 years and do not see any hopes of remission. Mostly, it's an invisible disease. You may notice my bruises, but otherwise people wouldn't know. I have to be very careful of injuries and have my blood tested regularly to ensure that I don't get down to critically low levels of platelets, which can cause spontaneous brain bleeds and even death if not caught in time.
It's pretty scary to be diagnosed with a life-long disease, especially a rare one that you've never heard of before. In the beginning, I felt like I had nobody who could relate and I found it very hard to find information about my disease. Eventually, I found the PDSA (Platelet Disorder Support Association) and it changed everything. Suddenly, I had information at my fingertips. I had support groups. I learned that the PDSA funds many different studies to try to find treatments that are less harmful than those available today.
On September 11th, I'm going to walk to raise awareness of ITP and raise money for PDSA. It is an amazing organization and I'm happy to donate money to them. Please join me, either in walking or in giving a donation.
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