This is my friend Glenn. We initially connected through our shared relationship with PKD (polycystic kidney disease) that took my newborn son, Austin’s life. While our stories are vastly different, we have a common goal of wanting to raise awareness and fund research for this disease, which currently has no cure.
Glenn is amazing! With an unexpected diagnosis of PKD much later in life, he is now embarking on an extraordinary cross-country bike @rideforpkd2022 (over 5000 miles!) meeting doctors, researchers and families like mine along the way.
Today, we finally met at USC (my alma mater!) along with some of the brightest young minds dedicating their life to PKD research. It was amazing seeing the advancements being made, but it was also eye opening the need for more research funding.
So many of you have made generous donations to my foundation Angels 4 Austin, which not only aims to comforts NICU families, but also fund the incredible PKD research I saw first hand today. I wanted to share it with all of you, so you too could see the impact you’re making with your generosity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Science was never my strongest subject and a lot of the information discussed today was way over my head. However, my big take away was the power of sharing and the power of community. Amazing things happen when we come together. I would have never connected with Glenn or had this incredible experience today if I hadn’t openly shared my story (which is not always easy to do). Thank you for listening and for your continued support, always.
If you’d like to learn more about my friend Glenn, visit www.rideforpkd.org 🚴✨ Xo, EF #pkdawareness #endpkd #angels4austin