Support My Power of Movement 2012 Campaign

Hi Everyone,
Power of Movement is a cause very near to my heart.  I was diagnosed with a rare form of vasculitis/autoimmune condition called Wegener's Granulomatosis 9 years ago.  I have been involved with POM since the very first year.  I was in my 4th year of a voice degree (singing) at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Music when I became really sick.  I was also an active member of the U of T Triathlon team.  I was very active and lead a very healthy life.  Just before my 4th year began, my ear began to hurt, after months of antibiotics and treatments that went no where, I finally got into see an ENT, and symptoms began to snowball.  I began to cough, loose a lot of weight/muscle, and by February it was hard to walk up the stairs.  In a matter of 6 months I went from doing a triathlon to a hospital bed.  Needless to say, there was no singing happening or triathlon training.  Things were completely turned upside down.

I was very lucky, the doctors that I saw had seen Wegener's before.  My respirologist had a hunch, which lead to a special blood test, and that made all the difference.  

Yoga is a large part of my routine now.  It keeps my stress level down (very important for those of us with autoimmune issues), helps with blood flow, and the deep breathing associated with yoga is good for the lungs and helps distribute oxygen into the blood and to the organs.  It only makes sense that yoga makes an excellent paring with the Arthritis Research Centre for a fundraising event.

Thank-you for taking the time to read my page,  I hope you will consider sponsoring me.  Arthritis and related diseases often get over looked from the big campaigns (Cancer, Heart Disease - both important too).  Even though death is rare from these conditions, it does happen, and depending on the severity of your condition, can take your everyday-life away.   

Thank-you for listening,
Namaste,
Kelly

On Sunday, March 4th, 2012; I will be joining thousands of Canadians, as I take part in Power of Movement, Canada's largest yoga fundraiser. Funds raised from this event go towards life changing research, which benefits more than 4.2 million Canadians that are living with arthritis and autoimmune conditions.

For more information on Power of Movement, please visit www.powerofmovement.ca and for information on the Arthritis Research Foundation and the work that it supports, please visit www.beatarthritis.ca  

If you collect offline donations (i.e. cash and cheques) please ensure that the below forms are completed and either mailed into the Arthritis Research Foundation, or brought to the event that you are participating in on Sunday, March 4th.

Power of Movement Manual Donation Form

For fundraising, prize and other donation related information, please visit the "Prize" tab on the event home screen.