On Friday, October 27, 2006, aplastic anemia survivor Robin Grapa and her mother Patty Laatsch will complete their hike across the United States, to raise money and awareness for bone marrow failure diseases. They are the first mother-and-daughter team to complete the
American Discovery Trail, taking 9 months to cross 12 states and over 4,600 miles.
Robin and Patty have raised over $100,000 for the
Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation (see
publicity page) and spread the message about the need for more research into cures for bone marrow failure diseases. Their two major sponsors have been the
4imprint and
Celgene Pharmaceutical companies.
Robin and Patty's
website and
blog have chronicled their journey from its start at Henlopen, Delaware, on February 4 to its finish at Limantour Beach,
Point Reyes National Seashore, 35 miles north of San Francisco, California.
On Friday they will be met by supporters, members of the press, and representatives of the AA&MDSIF and the American Discovery Trail.
Marrowforums will be there and we'll post photos of the event. Any supporter in the area is invited to attend (
directions from San Francisco,
PDF map of the park).