Introducing Mike & Poppy's All-Stars

A bunch of us have been Walking each year for “Mike Brazell’s Cowboys,” named after my cousin who died at 35 of PKD complications, leaving two young children. In March, Mike’s father, a fun-loving and much-loved guy known to many as ‘Poppy,’ died suddenly, also of PKD complications. He was 64. (Photo of Poppy and Mike at right.) Poppy’s mother, my grandmother, has now attended the funerals of her husband (who was 44), both of her children and one of her grandsons. Three of those four sudden deaths were hastened by PKD.


So we’ve renamed the team. This year we’ll Walk as “Mike & Poppy’s All-Stars.” I’ll Walk in Lower Manhattan on Saturday, October 18th. I’ll again be dressed as Kenny the Kidney (http://kennythekidney.com).

My blushing bride Victoria will be at my side (photo below right; we got married September 13th). She swears she doesn't mind the costume.

The Research Is Moving Fast

My brother and I continue to take Tolvaptan, the experimental drug that makes us really thirsty and may slow cyst growth. And thanks to previous support, a number of other promising candidates are in the pipeline. If you’re curious, these clinical trials are currently under way:
http://snipurl.com/3dgbw [http://www_pkdcure_org]
And here are some of the longer-term research projects your donations help fund:
http://snipurl.com/3dgc2 [http://www_pkdcure_org]

85 cents of every dollar raised goes toward the most promising research efforts and patient education.

As a member of the PKD Foundation’s board of trustees, I lobby Congress each year, in an exercise that can seem futile. This year, though, we had a big win. The PKD Foundation was instrumental in the passage of the Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, which became law in May. The law enables everyone who inherits a genetic disorder to feel safer participating in the medical trials that will one day cure them — resulting in much greater health, productivity and happiness for all.

Please help us get there faster.