By: Chelsea Layton, living with CMT1A

My name is Chelsea, and I have CMT1A. The disease is scattered throughout my dad’s side of the family. I’ve been recovering from my 10th foot surgery due to CMT for five months. My weeks consist of endless doctor’s appointments, assistive medical devices, naps for recovery and lots of planning to ensure I have the strength and energy to live my life and fulfill my obligations. A treatment for CMT would mean taking back control of my future so I can spend more time achieving my dreams and less time recovering from painful surgeries.

My fellow CMT Research Foundation volunteer ambassadors and I have decided enough is enough. We’ve created a Spring CMT Research Challenge to rally our community to be the change we wish to see for our futures and everyone living with CMT.

Introducing the Spring CMT Research Challenge

Given the past year’s events, we’ve all undergone stressful changes and are ready for new opportunities and possibilities. This time of spring renewal is the perfect opportunity to combine the things we need and want to do, like cleaning out our closets and spending more time outdoors, with an easy and fun way to accelerate treatments and cures for CMT.

Here’s how it works:

• From now until April 30, 2021, those of us living with CMT challenge you to raise as much money as possible to support new and promising CMT research that’s solely focused on drug development and delivering treatments.
• Set up a personal fundraiser and encourage your friends and family to support you. In addition to asking your network for donations, use this time of spring renewal to clean out the things that add clutter to our lives — for a great cause.
• For every donation you make or raise between now and April 30, 2021, CMT Research Foundation board member Susan Canavari will match it, dollar for dollar, up to $10,000. That means you can double your impact toward delivering CMT treatments and cures.

Let me tell you more:

I’ve completed several personal fundraising challenges and can assure you that it is easy! Here are a few creative fundraising ideas to capture the spring theme in ways that are as unique as you and your interests:

• Identify the clothes, household items and other things that are taking up space in your life. Sell them via a virtual or in-person garage sale and donate the proceeds to the CMT Research Foundation.
• If you have a unique talent or skill, put it to use this month to end CMT. For example, if you play the guitar, choose to donate the earnings from an upcoming lesson you’re teaching, or if you’re an artist, auction off a piece of work to benefit the CMT Research Foundation. The opportunities here are endless because your passions and talents are endless!
• If you prefer to spend time outdoors, take on a personal challenge to bike, walk, hike or kayak a certain number of miles. Ask for donations to support your efforts.

There are so many ways to turn the things you love into a meaningful way to make tangible progress in ending CMT!

So, what are you waiting for? Get started here. If you have questions, want to brainstorm ideas or need help getting started, email community manager and CMT patient Gary Donaldson at [email protected].