Message from the Committee Chair

Ryan McAskile Dear Supporter,

Thank you for visiting beatvasculitis.ca. This website represents a mission that I am on to raise money for, create awareness about and build relationships around an autoimmune disease called VASCULITIS. I do not have the disease but my best friend, my dad, does and lives with it everyday. In late 2000 my dad developed a dry hacking cough and was diagnosed with Adult Onset of Asthma. It got so bad by September of 2001 that he could not finish a sentence without coughing.

Eventually he was admitted to Hospital where he was bed-ridden for nearly 7 months during which time he had multiple surgeries, including a jeujenostomy, and two separate stints in the intensive care unit.

It isn’t easy to see your dad go from a healthy and energetic, 200 pound man drop to 130 pounds and to be able to put your hand around his shin bone because all of his muscles have atrophied. His doctor once told me, “Ryan, your dad is the sickest man I have ever seen get better.” Now I was lucky. My dad survived and lives with Vasculitis every day of his life. I have friends who have lost parents and siblings to Vasculitis and other illnesses and the damage to them and their family is immeasurable.

Historically Vasculitis has not received much funding nor awareness but we are going to end all of that. The goal of our campaign is to raise $1.5 million in support of the Arthritis & Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation to create a Professorship in Vasculitis Research. This groundbreaking achievement will allow vastly improved research of this potentially devastating yet little known disease at the University Health Network. I hope you will take the time to visit the rest of beatvasculitis.ca to learn about the disease and find out how you can get involved in this exciting project.

Sincerely,

Ryan McAskile
Chair, Vasculitis Professorship Committee
Arthritis and Autoimmunity Research Centre Foundation

Ryan McAskille, Ann Turuta, Director, Vasculitis Foundation of Canada, Dr. Simon Carette, Carol Moller, President, Vasculitis Foundation of Canada, Gerri Grant, Executive Director, AARC Foundation

To learn more about the AARC Foundation visit www.beatarthritis.ca

For more information, please click here

Message from the Committee Chair

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