BLACKSBURG, Va. – A Blacksburg woman with a rare disease hosted a walk on Saturday in hopes of raising awareness and finding others like her.
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or CMT, is a rare and progressive neuromuscular disease that damages nerves, weakens muscles, and causes trouble walking. CMT affects 135,00 people in the U.S., and 3,500 across Virginia.
Saturday’s walk was not about a cure, but about solidarity and visibility.
“I think as a CMT patient, I think the most important thing for us to have is one another. We’re one in 2,500. Our disease begins invisible in most of us. We can walk through the world and not realize that anyone else we see has it. That’s why we need to make it more visible. We need to have events.”
Karen Brown
Proceeds from the walk went to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association and its ongoing research efforts to develop treatments and improve the quality of life for individuals like Karen living with CMT.