EFTA01770308

From: Woodson Merrell <docmerrell@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, February 29, 2012 3:53 AM To: undisclosed-recipients: Subject: Request for Support for Caitlin Merrell's Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Walk Team Team Young=NYC at the 2011 Take Steps Walk. Dear Friends and Family, We were delighted last year when Caitlin's frien=s came out in force to support her team Young NYC at the Crohn's and Colitis Foundat=on of America "Take Steps, Be Heard" Walk. And we are equally thrilled for he= that she will lead the team again this year on May 17 at the South Street Seapor= Pier 17, where we will walk over the Brooklyn Bridge to raise awareness and celebrate the courage of patients living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. <=p> This has got to be a good luck year for her team b=cause Caitlin also happens to be 17 years old, and she is the "Honored Hero" =or the New York walk, having been a top fund raiser for last years' walk, even w=ile working from her hospital bed at New York Hospital during a Crohn's flare. Caitli= was diagnosed with Crohn's when she was 13, in 2008, and has been managing wi=h incredible grace and resilience ever since. In addition to her many academic and extra-curricu=ar involvements as a junior in high school, Caitlin is committed to helping ra=se money for research into these diseases, which affect 1.4 million people in =he U.S. Perhaps even more troubling than the numbers of people who have Crohn's o= Colitis is the fact that children under the age of 8 are the fastest growin= segment of the population being diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.=A0 Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis are chronic, autoimmune diseases that can be incredibly painful and debilitating. Caitlin receives a monthly infusion of a powerful =ew drug called Remicade, which suppresses one part of her immune system that is cau=ing the damage to her digestive tract. She also undergoes a weekly shot of a se=ond immune suppressing agent, called Methotrexate, which stops her immune syste= from rejecting Remicade. The CCFA is particularly close to Caitlin's hear= because it helped develop these therapeutic advances that are currently hel=ing to keep her in remission. But there are not a lot of therapeutic options fo= people with IBD, and Caitlin is hoping that someday the CCFA's work will =elp lead to new and gentler therapies, and perhaps even a cure. There are two ways to get involved and show support for Caitlin and the CCFA: (First make sure your email server does not clas=ify this email as "junk.") 1) Donate to Caitlin: Click on the red "Support Me" button below. Your internet =rowser will open up to Caitlin's personal walk page, and you can click "Donate=to Caitlin!" No amount is too small....or too big! 2) Walk with us, join the team and start fundraising: Click on the red "Support Me=94 button below. Your internet browser will open up to Caitlin's personal wa=k page, and you can click "Join Young NYC!" Once you join you can donate =nd start reaching out to all of your friends and family, and to people you know who =ay be affected by IBD. (Note: If you plan on walking with us, please join Caitlin's team and donate ANY amount to y=urself.) With Much Love, Appreciation and Hope for a Heal=hy Future for Caitlin, EFTA_R1_00081286 EFTA01770308 Kathy and Woody <http://badge.boundlessfundraising.com/image/dispray/ccfa/3243/2359505> PS. If you prefer not to donate online,=it is also possible to send Caitlin a check, payable to The Crohn's and =otitis Foundation of America Mailed to our h=me: 170 East End Avenue, 1151 New York, NY 10128 2 EFTA_R1_00081287 EFTA01770309