Golf Tournament to Raise Funds for the Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The 2nd Annual "Fight for Lexi" Charity Golf Tournament takes place on Monday, August 23, 2010 at the Dove Canyon County Club. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Scleroderma Foundation/ Southern California Chapter.
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The event kicks off with a shotgun start at 10:30 a.m., and will be followed by a silent auction and awards dinner.
The event is organized by the Pettit Family whose daughter, Lexi, was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease, scleroderma, in 2008. "When Lexi was diagnosed with scleroderma we promised her two things, that we would find and give her the best care possible and that we would do what it took to raise money and awareness to find a cure for this disease. This golf tournament is one of the ways in which we keep our promise to our wonderful girl," Lexi's mother, Melinda Pettit, said upon announcing the tournament.
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The Pettit Family recently went to Washington D.C. to advocate for increased scleroderma funding and the scleroderma specific bill H.R. 2408. In D.C., they met with their Congressman, Ken Calvert, who co-sponsors the important legislation.
Scleroderma is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects approximately 300,000 people in the United States, with nearly 80 percent of those diagnosed being women in their child-bearing years.
"There is no known cause for scleroderma, and there is no cure," Mrs. Pettit continues. "That's why we feel it's so important to do something to support the Scleroderma Foundation, which provides much-need patient education services and is the leading nonprofit organization funding critical research to find a cure."
About Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a chronic, often progressive, autoimmune disease in which one's own immune system attacks its body.
Scleroderma can cause a thickening and tightening of the skin. In the systemic form of the disease, often called systemic sclerosis, scaring (or sclerosis) causes serious damage to the internal organs, including the lungs, heart, kidneys, esophagus and gastrointestinal tract. As scarring of these organs and organ systems progress, they work less effectively and can lead to organ failure and death.
Some medications and treatments can help with certain symptoms, but there is still no cure for the disease, which affects about 300,000 people in the United States. (By way of comparison, approximately the same number of people are affected with multiple sclerosis.)
About the Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter
The Los Angeles-based Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter, is part of the national Scleroderma Foundation based in metropolitan Boston, MA. Its mission is to provide peer-to-peer patient support services, educational programs, and raise funds to support the Foundation's research and awareness programs.d
For more information about the disease and the Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter, visit www.sclerodermasocal.org or call (310) 592-1799.
The event will be held at the Dove Canyon Country Club, 22682 Golf Club Drive, Dove Canyon, CA 92679.
To obtain more information about the 2nd Annual "Fight For Lexi" Golf Tournament, please call the Tournament Office at (310) 592-1799.
For information about the National Scleroderma Foundation visit www.scleroderma.org
CONTACT: Brian Adams, Executive Director of the Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter, +1-310-592-1799 or [email protected]
SOURCE Scleroderma Foundation, Southern California Chapter
