Team PedXing Walk for Burn Survivors

“A lot of you already know that I was severely burned four and a half years ago. I was disabled for about a year, but I've been blessed to have made a nearly complete recovery. I also found a cause: helping other burn survivors who are either earlier in their recovery, or who were more severely burned.

One thing I did to give back and to "pay it forward" was to help found an annual Walkathon. I am chairman of the Walk, but also have my own walk team: Team PedXing. I use my trail name in part to remember the support the backpacking community (including the TT community) gave me when I was in need.

If anyone can make it, please come to the Walkathon in Boston on September 28. We walk a great loop around the Charles River and have a reception/cook out with food donated from local stores and restaurants.

If you can't make it please consider mailing a donation or going to:

http://www.firstgiving.com/teampedxing

For my trail journals following my recovery, please check out:

http://www.trailjournals.com/pedxingLT/

For some info about why I have such respect for the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors (who get all the proceeds from the Walk) please check out:

http://www.thebackpacker.com/trailtalk/thread/40399,-1.php”

“Good Luck!”

“Thanks for your support and donation Mike.

And thanks to the poster currently known as Hiker1984. I'm sure we'll butt heads again and again on line, but I appreciate your generosity. Helping real people with devastating injuries move from victim to survivor is more real to me and more substantive than all the battles any of us have here.

Thanks also to RJ (I'm trying to remember who you are on TT, the name sounds familiar).”

“Thanks also to some banned posters: namely Maple, XL and Laqtis.”

“Less than 90 minutes left to have your donation quadrupled (turn 25 dollars into a hundred) by dayhiker, pedxing and myself (a TT'er wishing anonymity),.

for full rules see the TT Donation Match BLITZ *** thread

Please donate at

http://www.firstgiving.com/teampedxing”

“Four years ago, I started a small annual fund raising walk where firefighters, medical people who treat burn victims, burn survivors, friends and family walk to raise money for the Phoenix Society for burn survivors. It's not a huge event usually just around 150 people. We walk again on 10/10/10 (registration at 10AM). TT'ers are on reason this walk has been a success.

Last year, TT'ers and others helped me raise 1626 dollars on my facebook causes page. This year I hope to add more (the total shown on the page includes last years). If you can make it to Boston on October 10th, please walk with us. The American Legion is once again donating the use of their post to our event.

Whether or not you can come, please consider joining Team PedXing. Even better, hit the donate button.

To check out the causes page (anyone know how to increase the "suggested" donation?):

http://www.causes.com/causes/302329

To donate if you don't use facebook:

https://www.causes.com/fb/donations/new?cause_id=302329&fundraiser_id=14996510&m=a0036bf0

If you want to know a little about my history as a burn survivor, check out:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=660285n&tag=related;photovideo”

“I watched the video.
My mum has a lot of candles burning all day long. My sister-in-law is the top sales person for those scented lifestyle candles. She makes everybody in the family buy her candles.
Month ago my mum told me, when she got up that morning, she suddenly smelled hot wax before she even got into the kitchen. In the kitchen she saw that she had forgotten to blow out the large scented candle, on the tiny little sideboard over the settee. It had burned all night. Eventually the candle burned down and the walls had collapsed, sending hot wax over the sideboard, which is usually filled with all sorts of little decorative (combustible) items, dripping down on the settee and pillows. It seems, as the wax run out of the candle, the wick fell over and quickly drowned in the remaining puddle.”

“I will match the first 10 donations of $5.00 to $25.00 for pedxing's charity up until 10/5/2010.

To qualify, you must me a TT regular (an already established account), and notify on this thread how you donated and how much. In other words, if you donate via Facebook, say so on this thread.

Also, if you donate on Facebook or on the Causes page, allow your name to be posted with your donation for verification purposes. The point of this is to encourage TTers to donate, not to match anybody off the street.

*** I'd also like to encourage at least one other volunteer to "match the match". Let us know here now if you're willing to do that to encourage more sponsors.
It's an easy way to double (possibly triple, or more) the value of the donations.”

“Pedxing and Matt - I have donated $25 to this cause through facebook but did not allow this to post on my personal page. Hopefully this still qualifies for the match! Good Luck!”

“Thanks sandyann.

And to clarify, if anyone wants to donate MORE than $25, PLEASE DO! It's just that the first $25 will be matched. Thanks!”

“Thanks once again Matt! I will match by the same rules as well.”

“A reminder, you can triple your donation. (see thread for details)


They help firefighters, soldiers and backpackers alike ...”

“All are welcome to come by and have some lunch!”

“One more day for the match.

Spare $25 for the care of burn victims - $75 will be donated. What a deal!”

“Last day.

We have sandyann and one anonymous TTer so far at $25 each.

Even just $5 will be matched and appreciated, so get it in.

Today at 7pm est will be the end of the match.

Thank you.”

“Thanks TTErs. Your donations have been matched. I believe this is a good cause. Thank you pedxing for putting your efforts into it. Good luck.”

“Thanks again Matt. Counting yourself and I, we have 5 TT'ers donating this year, two of them in response to the match. It all helps. It's nice some chip in even in hard times, we've had a few bigger years behind us.

And thanks Sunshine, Sandy Ann and the other anonymous TT'er as well. I figured you match the 50 and I'll match your 50 and their's - so I put in 100. Should anyone else step in, I'll still match them.”

“You are welcome. I wish I could give more but I do appreciate the matching!”

“Skin-cell spray gun drastically cuts healing time for burns

Scientists in the US have developed a new technique that sprays a burn patient's own cells on the burn to help regenerate the skin and drastically reduce recovery time. The gun has been under development since 2008 and has now been used to successfully treat more than a dozen patients.

The Skin-cell Gun works essentially like a sophisticated paint spray gun. It was developed by Professor Joerg C. Gerlach and colleages of the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburg’s McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The concept was first introduced in 2008.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-02-skin-cell-gun-drastically.html”

“Thanks for an interesting article. It would be a huge breakthrough if they had a way of getting all the layers of the skin to regenerate that way. Grafted skin is generally only the outer layer and thus greatly inferior to natural skin.

Also interesting is that this is funded by the department of defense. Burn survivors and burn victims have benefited tremendously from the sacrifices of members of the US military. Because of the flood of able young survivors of combat burns, burn treatment and knowledge of burn treatment is growing by leaps and bounds. The attitudes of some of those injured in combat has also been inspirational they are great role models, some publicly (like JR Martinez who is now a soap opera star, and Bobby Henline) others in quieter ways - visiting children and others in burn units, as well as visiting wounded Vets.”