Hundreds walk for CRPS awareness
The fifth annual Long Island CRPS Awareness Walk & Expo drew hundreds of participants to Eisenhower Park last month.
The event, which was held for the first time since the pandemic, was hosted by the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association (RSDSA), a nonprofit organization that funds research and provides support, education and hope for those impacted by Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
CRPS is a rare, progressive condition that is characterized primarily by severe burning pain, most often affecting the arms, legs, hands and feet.
The event raised funds for the vital services and programs of RSDSA while allowing members of the CRPS community to come together with others who are affected by the syndrome. The event included 1K and 2.5K walks, music, a barbecue, kids’ crafts, raffles, a resource expo, presentations and more.
“It was an incredible day,” Jim Broatch, executive vice president and director of RSDSA, said in an organization statement. “People came from as far as North Carolina and Virginia. Some people who were newly diagnosed had never met other people with the syndrome before.”
Presenters at the event included Patrick Boland, founder of the Ferocious Fighters, a North Carolina nonprofit that provides care packages and online support groups for children and teens who are diagnosed with CRPS. To date, the organization has sent care packages to 3,000 kids in 29 countries.
More than two dozen donors and sponsors supported the event, including NY Ketamine Infusions, which provides therapy to treat CRPS symptoms; Town Total Compounding Center, a compounding pharmacy that makes specialized medications; New York Spine & Pain Specialists, a division of New York Health; Paramount +, Baker Family Charitable Trust; Abbott; Edelman Krasin & Jaye PLLC; The Cochran Firm; South Shore Children’s Center; Precision Compounding Pharmacy; Zwanger-Pesiri Radiology; Trooper Foods; Starbucks of Carle Place; Mueller Sports Medicine; LI News Radio; New York Islanders; SaltStick; AO Biologix; Hilltop Bagel Café; Sam’s Club in Melville; Tony’s Tacos; The Shed; Vernon Graphics & Promotions; LMNT; and Marketing Works.
