Gary was a fun-loving man, who lived life to the fullest.  He was very active at 68 years young, and never wanted to slow down.  Mid July 2022 he was admitted to the hospital for symptoms such as confusion, slurred speech, trouble walking on his own, uncontrollable jerky tremors on the left side of his body.  After a week long stay and many tests that all came back negative; he was sent him home with seizure meds for the tremors. Doctors could not give us an answer as to why this was happening.  After two days at home the symptoms worsened and he was again admitted into another hospital.  This time all the same tests were run, as well as a spinal tap on July 27th.  On August 11th, he received results that none of us expected.  He was 99% positive for Cruezdfeldt Jakob disease (CDJ).  None of us in the family had ever heard of this.  Finding out there was no treatment and no cure for this disease was devastating. For eighteen days, Gary took on the next and final journey of his life with bravery, dignity and grace.

This disease is very rare and progressed quicker than any of us realized.  Our hope is to honor his memory by walking each year in the Strides4CJD event to raise money and raise awareness to find treatment and a cure for others with loved ones with this invariable fatal disease.

Donations of $250 and above are considered sponsorships.

Sponsorship Levels:

• Premier: $20,000
• Diamond: $10,000
• Platinum: $5,000
• Gold: $1,000
• Silver: $500
• Bronze: $250

Premier, Diamond, and Platinum Sponsors will have their name or logo displayed on participant t-shirts, the Strides for CJD website, and signage. Gold Sponsors will have their name or logo displayed on the Strides for CJD website, and will have their name (not their logo) listed on participant T-shirts and signage. Silver and Bronze Sponsors will have their name listed on the Strides for CJD website only.