PatientsLikeMe members hail from around the globe, and recently, 63 people gathered on the coast of Scotland for a walk to raise awareness of IPF and help people with IPF through Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. The coolest part? The event was organized entirely online by PatientsLikeMe member Hartfell, and through the PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ program, everyone was excited to get out there and hike. Here’s what she had to say:

“My experience with being diagnosed was quite complacent, as I had never heard of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). But when I read about it, it was a big shock. I found PatientsLikeMe online and was so glad because there was so much information and I was able to communicate with people with the same illness. I decided to organize a sponsor walk 5 months after I had been diagnosed to raise awareness of IPF. I have been a keen hill walker (hiker) for 23 years, and I organized a coastal walk at Kippford, with 3 levels of walks to cater to all abilities. We had a fantastic day with weather views and company and we raised £1,453.68 ($2,268.44), which was brilliant. The money went to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, which included my donation from PatientsLikeMe. There were 63 walkers that took part that day, ranging in age from 7 years to 85 years old. I would like to thank PatientsLikeMe for pointing me in the right direction to organize this event and help raise awareness. The event went so well and was enjoyed by all!”

If you’re unfamiliar with how PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ works, check out our guidelines – we sponsor 3-star members (super health data donors) who form teams and fundraise with their local nonprofits. And these advocates receive a donation, free team t-shirts and more!

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For those of you who don’t know, our PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ program has been running since 2009—how time flies! Join us in celebrating our 7^th year with a recap of 2014, our biggest year so far!

Last year, we had the honor of supporting 2192 members across 32 states that participated in a range of events and had a lot of fun along the way! Some of the events included a motorcycle ride, a golf tournament, a MuckFest, a Halloween Run and Relay, and a Cake Sale to boot!

If you’re unfamiliar with how it works, check out our guidelines – we sponsor 3-star members (super health data donors) who form teams and fundraise with their local nonprofits. And these advocates receive a donation, free team t-shirts and more! Here’s what some members had to say:

“Advocacy is huge, because without voices out there speaking on our behalf, we would never get any funding or support.”

“It is thanks to these fundraisers that there are now therapeutic options for patients like us. When I was first diagnosed, there was NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTHING. While there is still no cure, we have evidence that research is making strides and there is greater reason to hope. I have always been so grateful for the generosity of the PLM program. I feel so fortunate every time my family and I can contribute, to the financing of research for the cure.”

Quick facts:

More than 2,100 members from 113 different teams raised close to $24,000 through the PatientsLikeMeInMotion™ program in 2014.

Events took place in 32 states:

And represented 28 disease communities:

Thanks to everyone who participated in 2014! If you’d like to join the program in 2015, here’s all you need to do:

1. Join PatientsLikeMe (it’s free!)
2. Get 3 stars (your profile is up-to-date)
3. Submit your team details (within 3-4 weeks notice of the event, please!)

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