This should not be Marianne I am writing about. She was a healthy and joyful wife, mother, and "Mimi", who came from a family of extreme longevity. Her parents and several of her grandparents lived into their 90's. It was assumed as we aged, we would have time to visit new places and revisit old friends. Yet she was inexplicably stricken with one of the most cruel diseases of mankind and taken from us far too soon. Cruetzfeld-Jacob Disease is incurable, untreatable, and usually rapidly fatal. The usual course is an extremely rapid decline over 6-12 months. Ulimately, she was "fortunate" to have survived this disease for over 5 years from its first signs on an MRI. She was relatively well-functioning and always hopeful until the end. Most of those who knew Marianne were unaware of how terribly sick she was over her last 6 months when she withdrew from all except her family. She did not want to burden others with what she was going through. To those of us who did know, she was an inspiration and a model of grace. We lost Marianne 20 months ago, yet it never feels real. Every day we remember funny, quirky stories about her that make us smile, even though some of those memories make us cry. Luckily, we have a limetime of happy memories with Marianne to keep us warm.

Marianne's memory will always be a blessing to us.

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.