A Valencia woman’s struggle with a rare disorder has brought her friends and family together to raise awareness and money to help others dealing with the same struggle, and they are inviting the community to help.

Joan Bradt has been battling Guillain-Barré Syndrome, or GBS, since March 2021. Several weeks after retiring from her job at Northrup Grumman, Bradt came down with GBS and was completely paralyzed; her diaphragm also became paralyzed, forcing her to be on a ventilator, according to Lori Russum, a close family friend of Bradt.

Similar to ALS, GBS uses the body’s immune system to attack the patient’s nervous system. Bradt’s particular form of GBS–known as acute motor-sensory axonal neuropathy–attacks both motor and sensory nerves, according to the National Library of Medicine.

“Although she is showing some improvement, she has a very, very long way to go yet”, said Suzy Namba, Bradt’s sister.  “Her sensory nerves are beginning to heal which means she now feels a lot of pain (Yippee! Is this an improvement?), and although she cannot move her arms, she can apply minimal resistance in her arms, which means she is having some motor nerve healing.”

Bradt’s friends have been helping her family by providing meals and helping her husband, but are now looking to help others battling GBS by hosting their own leg of the GBS-CIDP International Walk & Roll Event, with their GBS charity group, Joanie’s Village.

“Research funding for innovation, quicker diagnosis and better treatments does not meet the need”, Namba said.    “Lori Russum, and I are organizing a ‘Walk & Roll’ fundraiser on Sept. 12 in Joanie’s home city, Santa Clarita, to support the GBS-CIDP Foundation International.”

According to GBS-CIDP Foundation International, walking for the cause is a way to raise awareness and show support. Since 2016, over $400,000 has been raised to fully fund seven grant programs, as well as other initiatives that support those with the disease; this includes diagnoses, treatments, and biomarker screenings.

Since they began taking donations, Joanie’s Village has raised just under $6,000 for GBS-CIDP Foundation International.

Locally, Bradt’s family and friends will be holding their walk & roll in person and virtually through Zoom to raise money for Joanie’s Village.  The in-person event will be held at Valencia Glen Park in Santa Clarita, located at 23750 Via Gavola Sunday, Sept. 12. The meet-up will be under the trees next to the street. There will be games, snacks and a group photo that will be mounted to a canvas to decorate the park, according to Namba.

For those who can not attend in person, Namba encourages joining them on Zoom and taking a walk around the block or their own local park; those who participate this way are also encouraged to send a photo of the walk to Namba.

The event will begin at 9 a.m.; those planning to attend in person are asked to arrive early at 8:45 a.m. Those attending online can join using Zoom, with the meeting ID: 971 880 3539 and passcode: i5eZaa.

For more information or to send your photos for the event, email Namba at snamba56@gmail.com or through her number (916) 995-6864. To donate to the charity visit their donation page for Joanie’s Village.