The Myocarditis Foundation held its third fundraising event in the Raleigh area, entitled Fiesta 2010 on Friday, May 7, 2010. Approximately 100 people attended the event which was held at Brier Creek Country Club in Raleigh, North Carolina. The evening included entertainment by the band 20 Years Gone and featured Mexican cuisine, and a Silent Auction. The foundation raised over $16,000 from the event.
The Foundation would like to thank all the individuals who attended and gave so generously. The Foundation also acknowledges their business sponsors who contributed to the success of the event. The Raleigh area sponsors included: Atlantic Avenue Orchid and Gardens, The Fresh Market, Empire Distributors, Nollie Jones of UPS Store #4084, DS Parada Color Café, Saks Fifth Avenue, Caring Sole Reflexology, Eye Care Associates, Brier Creek Country Club, DiNizo Construction, and Le Brew Coffee. The Foundation would also like to extend a special thank you to our corporate sponsor, St. Jude Medical Foundation of St. Paul, Minnesota, who manufactures cardiac rhythm devices upon which many myocarditis patients depend.
Dr. Leslie Cooper, Chief of Vascular Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, was the guest speaker. Dr. Silvio Antoniak of UNC Chapel Hill received a plaque in recognition of his selection as a Research Grant Recipient of The Myocarditis Foundation. Brian Barndt from Wake Forest, NC, heart transplant, athlete and medalist at the International Transplant Games in Australia in 2009, was the keynote speaker.
The Myocarditis Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Raleigh, NC, that is dedicated to increasing awareness and hastening progress in understanding this rare disease. Myocarditis is a disease that is marked by inflammation and scarring of the heart muscle. It is poorly understood and often underdiagnosed. It can progress rapidly to heart failure, and death or heart transplantation. Several thousand patients per year are diagnosed in the United States. The disease usually attacks otherwise healthy people. Approximately 5-20% of all cases of sudden death in young adults are due to myocarditis.
For more information about the foundation, how to volunteer or for future events, please contact Candace Moose at (732) 295-3700. For more information about the Myocarditis Foundation, go to myocarditis.viewsamplesite.com.
