Northern Exposure will hold a “Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma” beauty day May 17.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the 1227 3rd Street salon on the backside of Top Ten Video, proceeds from haircuts, coloring, and retail sales for the event will go to support the Scleroderma Foundation Minnesota Chapter.
The event is being organized by Stephanie Mason of Northern Exposure, who lost her mother, Frances Rowe, to scleroderma last October. She is coordinating the events to be held prior to two major fundraising walks in June. Call 283-2549 to make an appointment.
"This is my way of collecting donations for a cause that has hit so close to home so profoundly,” said Mason. "By having sales on products and services I'm also giving back to my clients and friends that have stood by me through this past year.
"It's also a good way to make scleroderma heard of and to provide some awareness of a chronic disease that few people are familiar with," she added.
Scleroderma means literally, hard skin, for its most visible manifestation of the disease. It is difficult to categorize as progressive because of the variety of forms the disease takes over time that can be mild to life-threatening.
An estimated 300,000 Americans, both adults and children, suffer from some type of scleroderma. Women sufferers outnumber male patients four to one. It is not contagious or infectious and the seriousness of the disease depends on what parts of the body are affected.
The Scleroderma Foundation educates the public about the disease, also known as systemic sclerosis, a chronic connective tissue disease that is classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases. It raises funds for research and helps to enhance the quality of life for patients.
“I think that they are getting closer with all the research that has been done,” Mason added.
Mason’s mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1983. There was not much awareness of the disease at the time and not much that could be done for the symptoms. She survived for 25 more years even though doctors gave her only seven.
Rowe was able to stay active until the last year of her life, when the disease progressed and she passed away from congestive heart failure on Nov. 14, 2007.
Charles Rowe, her husband, a retired ore miner, died a month later from pulmonary hypertension.
The Stepping Out to Cure Scleroderma Walks will be held on Saturday, June 7, at 9 a.m., at Bayfront Park in Duluth, and at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska.
Mason’s spouse Jim, their two boys, 16 and 12, and a daughter, 3, will be joined by extended family and friends for the Duluth walk.
www.firstgiving.com/stephaniemason [1].