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The Virginia Alpha-1 5K "Hero Walk" began with a sick baby with jaundice and a concerned mother
Pam Van Scoy first heard of Alpha-1Antitrypsin Deficiency when her son was diagnosed with Alpha-1 liver disease. She had taken her baby in for a checkup because he had jaundice well after his birth.
“This was more than 20 years ago, and hardly any information was available,” she says. “I felt like I was the only one in the world who had a baby with this condition.”
Pam Van Scoy and her family
That little boy eventually needed a liver transplant. Now 26, he’s thriving with just a couple of anti-rejection pills a day. Pam has five children, all boys. Her youngest son also had Alpha-1 liver symptoms, and at 12, he’s also doing fine. “He had his first completely normal liver test at 10,” Van Scoy says.
Their sons’ diagnosis led Pam and her husband Ken, of Sumerduck, Virginia, to find out that both of them are Alpha-1 carriers. And the second son’s diagnosis led to exciting developments.
“I was amazed at how much information was available on the Internet by then,” she says. “I was able to chat with other parents of Alpha-1 kids. It was all online at first. Then around 2000-2001, I went to Dallas for the Alpha-1 Association’s Peer Guide training. I met Alphas and parents face to face for the first time.”
Van Scoy is a person who always seems to get involved in worthy causes. “I did walks for breast cancer for three years. And you know, I couldn’t believe how much money these walks raise. I wanted to raise money for the Foundation’s Alpha-1 research. So that’s why I decided to do the 5K Hero Walk.”
The 5K Walk will be held in Byrd Park, Richmond, VA, on Saturday, April 9. “That’s right around cherry blossom time,” says Van Scoy. “So if you’re from out of town, it’s the best time of the year to be visiting Virginia and Washington, DC.”
For more information on the 5K Hero Walk, join a conference call on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 8 pm Eastern Time. Call 888-825-7421, Ext. 365. When you’re asked to dial a code, dial 739350
