Amyloidosis‏

In 2007 my father, Dennis Blake, was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, Amyloidosis. After years of battling the disease, the correct diagnosis was finally given less then a week before he passed. Amyloidosis is a rare blood disease that can affect one or more organs when abnormal deposits of the amyloid protein are produced. It is debilitating and life threatening. The disease meant nothing to my family weeks before we first heard the word, and then it defined the rest of our lives. It is only in the last 25 years that physicians have started to understand the disease. I have been hiking the Appalachian trail for a little more then a month. Hiking 8 to 12 hours a day, I have had plenty of time to think of my father and what kind of differences I could make in his name. I would love to make this epic adventure about more then myself. The amyloidosis foundation's mission is to increase education and awareness in hopes that it will lead to earlier diagnosis and improved treatment. My goal is to raise $1,000 in the name of my father. I have roughly 200 miles left. Just one penny per mile adds up to $20 when I complete the trail of 2,000 miles. If anybody would like to donate a small amount per every mile I complete, then I am confident that I can reach my goal. Here are the directions and the page link for the donations: Check "In memory of" and add my father's name "Dennis Blake"

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Hike Naked Day?!?!

Today was hike naked day. Not sure how or why this "holiday" came to be. But on every summer solstice hikers head into the hills and hike without cloths across the world. If this comes as a surprise to you, I also had some trouble grasping it. When I started the trail 3 months ago I thought it was a joke. Hike Naked Day? It sounds ridiculous but there was much talk about who would forgo cloths on this magical day. I did not participate but Sabertooth had his fun. He fashioned a sort of "bandanna man thong," at our request of course. Needless to say I avoided hiking around him most of the day. Most uncomfortable moment came while crossing a road where 4 construction workers were running jackhammers, Sabertooth kept hiking along in all his glory, ignoring the puzzled glances
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2 comments:

  1. CourtneyJune 22, 2011 at 11:08 AM

    Lol @ bandanna man thong....can only imagine what those construction workers were thinking...good for sabertooth...I think? Lol

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  2. CharliJune 22, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    I am laughing my head off reading this entry!! I love it, wish I could have witnessed that. Are there pictures of the man thong? You need to post if so. Thanks for the good laugh:)

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