Dozens of people gathered on the West Shore to walk and raise awareness of a rare disease called scleroderma on Sunday.

Looping around West Shore Parks and Recreation, people young and old sported blue shirts reading B次元官网网址淪cleroderma, hard word, harder disease,B次元官网网址� and carried yellow balloons to raise awareness of the chronic autoimmune disease that affects the body by hardening connective tissue.

Also known as systemic sclerosis (not to be confused with multiple-sclerosis), symptoms include an abnormal sensitivity to cold, swelling of the hands and feet, pain and stiffness in joints, thickening of the skin, digestive system problems, and kidney, heart and lung dysfunction.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a lonely thing to be diagnosed with,B次元官网网址� said walk organizer Linda Barnes, who was diagnosed with the disease five years ago. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 only a few of us and itB次元官网网址檚 not well understood and often itB次元官网网址檚 invisible. Sometimes itB次元官网网址檚 difficult to share that information with other people.B次元官网网址�

While there is no cure, research is currently being conducted at St. PaulB次元官网网址檚 Hospital in Vancouver. Funds raised from the walk go towards that work to find a cure and treatments options.

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kendra.wong@goldstreamgazette.com