In Kern County, we became more aware of CJD in 2018, after Bakersfield's 25th Mayor and EMS pioneer, Harvey L. Hall, was diagnosed with the sporadic form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease. Unimaginably, it was just two weeks and seven hours following diagnosis that Mayor Hall lost his battle with this horrible disease.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is caused by "prions," proteins that misfold in the brain, with devastating effects, including rapid mental and physical deterioration. Prion diseases are invariably fatal. This rare neurodegenerative disease currently has no treatment or cure.
Left lost and searching for answers to this rare disease, Mrs. Hall vowed to become a strong advocate dedicated to finding a cure and treatment for CJD. She has since established Strides for CJD – Bakersfield (one of 23 events held in cities across the United States), joined the board of the CJD Foundation, and created the Harvey L. Hall Memorial Grant supporting the work of medical researchers.
For the past five years, Team Big H, in Memory of Harvey L. Hall (and Strides for CJD - Bakersfield), has been the Top Fundraising Team in the United States, raising over $320,000! Please help us keep the momentum going as we raise funds for the CJD Foundation to provide family support, medical education, and funding for research programs related to CJD.
To date, the CJD Foundation has awarded 77 grants, totaling more than $4 million, to help support scientists who study prion disease. This year, for the first time, the CJD Foundation awarded a fellowship to an emerging scientist. This is an important way to attract younger scientists to the prion disease field under the direction of CJD experts.
Teresa Steiner
