| Here's some other links to check out! |
www.aamds.org : The Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation, Inc.
www.discovertrail.org : The American Discovery Trail - this is the route we took on our hike.
www.marrowforums.org : You guessed it! The #1 forum for Bone Marrow Disease! We are NOT alone!!
www.nhlbi.nih.gov : The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute
www.marrow.org : The National Marow Donor Program - get on the list through this link!
www.givelife.org : A place to find out where you can give blood and save a whole lotta' lives.
major Sponsors
4imprint : This is the company I work for. If you ever need a product with your logo or name on it, this is seriously the #1 place to get it. There's about a trillion different items you can choose from! Besides, they have gone way above and beyond to help mom and I complete this hike, and continue to support me!
Celgene : This is a pharmeceutical company that came on board before we left for the hike. Next to 4imprint, these two companies gave "Our Hike" the backbone it needed to continue. Thank you to Celgene -- not only did they support us, but they are constantly trying to improve medications and continue research.
Pharmion : This is another pharmeceutical company that stepped up to the "Robin and Patty" challenge and supported us with fundraisers, hosts along the route, and substantial donations. They have since been acquired by Celgene (link above), so be sure to visit their site.
Blue Door Consulting : Blue Door Consulting is a marketing company in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, that working through 4imprint, helped us with media coverage along our route. This was a HUGE part of the charity side of this hike, and without Brenda, Heidi and Tony, we wouldn't have spread awareness like wildfire -- but that we did -- with their help.
Minding Your Business : A great big Thank-You goes out to Bill Nemek and his web design company, "Minding Your Business." Bill volunteered a lot of his time to put up our very first "Our Hike" website -- this is what kept us in touch with the world while we were on the hike.
gear Sponsors
The next list of links direct you to our gear sponsors. These are companies that donated gear for us to use on our hike -- every penny we didn't spend on gear went directly to the AA&MDSIF for research and patient education, so they were definitely a crucial part in our success. Thank you to the following companies for stepping up to help us out!
Granite Gear : Granite Gear's backpacks lasted us the entire hike, and we definitely put them through some serious dirt-flinging abuse!
Jetboil : These are the best and easiest to use stoves on the planet. Trust me. I don't cook. Mom did most the cooking. But the point is, this stove is so easy to use, that even I can cook on the trail! Gotta try it out if you haven't yet!
Sunday Afternoons : Oh, my, the hats. These hats were the greatest when we were in 100° F weather and needed the sun off our necks!
Big Sur Bar : Okay, these are the heaviest, calorie-packed energy bar I've ever eaten. And they taste good. The only way we've been able to describe these is by calling them "A Chistmas cookie on steroids." They might be heavier than the standard energy bar, but it does the trick when needing to get up a 12,000-ft. mountain at the end of a long 18-mile day!
ProBar : These are an equally awesome energy bar! Both these energy bars sponsored us, and it was great to have that variety. ProBars are natural and unprocessed, so that's pretty cool, too!
Merrell : Shoes. 9 pairs each. Yes, 9. We went through a lot of different brands in the beginning, too, but Merrells are what stuck with us. We are thankful they supported us and kept our feet feeling as good as they can at 20 miles each day!
MSR : This company gave us a super-sweet discount on some much-needed items for the hike.
Black Diamond : We used the Black Diamond Lighthouse tent the entire hike, and it held up the whole time! Again, through so much use and abuse, I highly recommend these durable tents. Light, too!!
Backcountry.com : Backcountry.com is a great source for just about anything outdoors you need. They also gave us a super-sweet discount while we were hiking on any gear we needed along the way.
Patients and other hikers' sites
Kailee : An Aplastic Anemia patient with an AMAZING story of survival, bone marrow transplants, family, love, and a trip to China to meet her donor!
Kinsey : You gotta read Kinsey's story, too... she's another Aplastic Anemia survivor. She's turly had all the trials and tribulations, but overcame them all. This family has been through it all, and have a great site to read about it all!
Stephanie : Unfortunately I wasn't able to meet Stephanie in person, but I think there was a connection when I met her parents in West Virginia. Stephanie lost her battle to Aplastic Anemia when she was only 13 years old. Her parents continue to share Stephanie's memory, and are a great example of the meaning of love. There will be an update to her main website, which I will update when I have the link.
GottaWalk : This is the site of Ken & Marcia Powers. They are "Grand-Slam" hikers, which means they've hiked the "Triple Crown" Trails (Appalachian Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Pacific Crest Trail) and added the American Discovery Trail to the bunch. Ken and Marcia were a HUGE help in the planning stages of "Our Hike." They were about ready to leave when I first starting planning, and they were completely open to sharing all their hints and tricks to completing a huge thru-hike successfully. If you're a hiker, you have to visit their site and read their journals.
Debbie Schachner : Debbie also did a hike on the ADT across the country for charity. We crossed paths and had the great opportunity to run into her in on a hiking trail in the middle of a crazy thunderstorm! Read her amazing story here.