Jonathan M. W. Hughes

On June 4th, I'm Walking in the Park 5KM with my partner Sonia Mota in support of Sonia's mother Maria Mota.

Maria is truly an amazing woman, her smile can always cheer up a dull day and she always wants to do more to make the members of her family happy.

Although Maria looks feisty and full of passion, inside she has a debilitating disease.  It’s not obvious to the casual observer but Scleroderma is an autoimmune disease where your body's immune system attacks its own tissues creating excessive collagen. This can make your skin hard and often results in cold fingers; but it can become much worse.  This hardening can also inflict your major organs including your heart, lungs and kidneys. This means Maria gets short of breath after only a short walk and sometimes needs help with the simplest tasks we take for granted such as getting dressed or taking a shower. It can also drastically reduce life expectancy.

For this walk, Maria is struggling with some hip trouble and may not be able to fully take part, so we are very keen to make sure we complete the walk on her behalf.

You can donate directly through my link here.

Maria, Sonia and I would really appreciate your support, to help raise awareness, increase education, and conduct vital research.  I am asking if 10 friends will each donate just $20 to help move the fight forward.

As you know 5KM is not a big sacrifice for me, but for Maria your support means a whole lot more.

Thank you for your consideration 

Jonathan

Scleroderma - Hard Word, Harder Disease