I Rock Teal for Scleroderma!

What is Scleroderma

Scleroderma is a rheumatic autoimmune disease that affects over 300,000 Americans in every ethnicity and age. However, 85 percent affected are women. It causes the immune system to attack its own body by over producing collagen and hardening the affected organs. In most cases it affects the skin, causing it to tighten and get hard. However in a third of the cases it affects vital organs, such as the digestive tract, kidneys, lungs, and heart. It can be a progressively life-threatening disease with no known cause and no known cure.  Since the symptoms of scleroderma are similar to those of other autoimmune diseases, diagnosis is difficult. There may also be many misdiagnosed or undiagnosed cases due to lack of awareness and education in the general public and even those in the medical field. Early diagnosis is crucial to slowing the progression of Scleroderma and can be done through blood tests and/or catching related symptoms early. 



What We Are Doing

Teal is the awareness color for scleroderma. The I Rock Teal for Scleroderma! fundraiser will help raise awareness for this often life-threatening disease so that those who have scleroderma can have support and resources and those suffering undiagnosed can be tested and treated. It will also help raise funds towards finding a cure.

 

Benficiary

The Scleroderma Foundation Southern California Chapter is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that helps those with the disease by providing patient support, education, and research funding.