On behalf of International OCD Foundation (IOCDF), I invite you to participate in the 5th Annual 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk.
I am amazed and honored to see how much the Walk has grown each year since the flagship Walk in Boston in 2013. As we continue to unite to raise awareness about obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related disorders, I want to ensure that we also remember my son, Nathaniel, the inspiration for this amazing event.
In 2012, I walked over 500 miles — or roughly one million steps — from my home in Cheyney, PA to Boston, MA, in memory of Nathaniel who took his own life at the age of just 24, after a long struggle with severe body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), an obsessive compulsive related disorder. After Nathaniel’s death, I embarked on a pilgrimage to honor him and to raise awareness about the disease that stole his life. To carry on this tradition, the 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk was created the following year in the same spirit of raising awareness, funds, and hope. It is in this spirit that I invite you to join us!
The 1 Million Steps 4 OCD Walk is the first grassroots, awareness-building, and fundraising campaign to highlight OCD and related disorders on a national level. The Walk encourages each of us to reach out and start a conversation about OCD with family members, friends, and colleagues and work to bring more people into that conversation year after year. For many, it is also an opportunity to share personal stories and shatter misunderstandings and misperceptions of OCD and related disorders. By telling about our experiences, we are helping to educate others about OCD, and inviting them to join this vibrant community, and support our efforts to raise awareness and make a difference.
The sense of community at each of the Walks is incredibly strong and the experience of walking together with other community members who understand OCD and its struggles stays with you for days after the physical Walk is over.
Please join me and the entire OCD and related disorders community and walk with us on June 3rd, 2017 in Boston, Atlanta, and Houston (and on June 10, 2017 in Sacramento!) — or start your own grassroots Walk with your family and friends in your own community.
It is FREE to register for the Walk! However, all Boston, NorCal, Atlanta, and Houston registered walkers who raise a minimum of $25 on their CrowdRise fundraising page by the time of the Walk, will receive an official Walk T-shirt! Virtual Walkers must raise the minimum $25 by Monday, May 8th to allow for printing and shipment in order to receive their shirts by the time of their Walks. Visit www.iocdf.org/walk to register today!
Take a step and be part of #1Million4OCD — let’s see how far we can go!
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