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Heidi Junk
Leo Rolandelli
Stephanie Cardona
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Carri Joy Gerstein
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Soccer For Sarc 2024About Team Kiss
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Join us on sample date
Join us on sample date
Team KISS was created by the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) as a platform to allow volunteers to easily get involved in the fight against sarcoidosis. KISS stands for Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis, and that’s exactly what our Team KISS volunteers do! While FSR has been working hard to ensure research happens, patients and their loved ones know better than anyone the urgent needs that exist in this space including a better understanding for this disease, improved treatment options, and ultimately, a cure for sarcoidosis. As such, there is nobody more well equipped to lead the fight than them and few more impactful ways to support sarcoidosis-specific research than through Team KISS.
In the past five years, Team KISS has collectively raised over $500,000 for sarcoidosis research. Thanks to the hard work of sarc warriors, their friends, families, and communities, that number is growing every year.
When you join Team KISS, we provide you with fundraising tools and an easy-to-use team platform to organize your event. Taking action can be as simple as setting up a fundraising page or memorial fund for a loved one. Or take it a step further and plan an event in your community. We can help you with event ideas or planning, and provide support along the way as you work to reach your goal! No matter how you decide to kick in, you can join other Team KISS members who are making a direct impact on the future of sarcoidosis research.
When you join Team KISS, you'll receive:
Once you get set up, the rest is up to you- you can do as little or as much as you’d like. Whether you just share your fundraising page or you host an independent event, every bit helps raise awareness and advance FSR’s efforts to improve the lives of sarcoidosis patients as well as invest in promising research projects.
Fundraising for Team KISS not only gives team members a way to support much-needed sarcoidosis research, but also to share their story and give their loved ones a way to get involved too.
All funds raised by Team KISS are 100% fully tax-deductible and go towards raising awareness and finding a cure for sarcoidosis.
What is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DOE-SIS) is an inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of granulomas, tiny clumps of inflammatory cells, in one or more organs of the body. When the immune system goes into overdrive and too many of these clumps form, they can interfere with an organ’s structure and function. When left unchecked, chronic inflammation can lead to fibrosis, which is permanent thickening or scarring of organ tissue.
This disorder can affect almost any organ in the body, including the heart, skin, liver, kidneys, brain, sinuses, eyes, muscles, bones, and other areas. Sarcoidosis most commonly targets the lungs and the lymph nodes, which are an important part of the immune system. When it affects the lungs, it is called pulmonary sarcoidosis. Ninety percent or more of people diagnosed with the disease have lung involvement, however disease presentation and severity varies widely among patients.
Despite the best efforts of researchers for more than a century working to better understand the complexities of this disease, sarcoidosis remains difficult to diagnose with limited therapies. Many patients suffer for years before arriving at the correct diagnosis or discovering the best treatment plan, although we’re coming closer to understanding the mechanisms.
About the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is dedicated to revolutionizing the way this disease is treated, improving the quality of life for patients, and to finding a cure for this disease. Since its establishment in 2000, FSR has fostered over $4 million in sarcoidosis-specific research and provided resources to tens of thousands of patients worldwide. With strategic funding, efforts to engage patients in research, and by promoting collaboration among researchers worldwide, we are expanding the understanding of sarcoidosis every day.
Learn more at www.stopsarcoidosis.org.
In the past five years, Team KISS has collectively raised over $500,000 for sarcoidosis research. Thanks to the hard work of sarc warriors, their friends, families, and communities, that number is growing every year.
When you join Team KISS, we provide you with fundraising tools and an easy-to-use team platform to organize your event. Taking action can be as simple as setting up a fundraising page or memorial fund for a loved one. Or take it a step further and plan an event in your community. We can help you with event ideas or planning, and provide support along the way as you work to reach your goal! No matter how you decide to kick in, you can join other Team KISS members who are making a direct impact on the future of sarcoidosis research.
When you join Team KISS, you'll receive:
- A personalized event or fundraising page (or both!) that you can customize and share with friends, family, and the sarcoidosis community
- The Team KISS Fundraising Guide
- The Team KISS Event Guide
- FSR materials to distribute at your event
- Ongoing support with your event and fundraising efforts
Once you get set up, the rest is up to you- you can do as little or as much as you’d like. Whether you just share your fundraising page or you host an independent event, every bit helps raise awareness and advance FSR’s efforts to improve the lives of sarcoidosis patients as well as invest in promising research projects.
Fundraising for Team KISS not only gives team members a way to support much-needed sarcoidosis research, but also to share their story and give their loved ones a way to get involved too.
All funds raised by Team KISS are 100% fully tax-deductible and go towards raising awareness and finding a cure for sarcoidosis.
What is sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis (pronounced SAR-COY-DOE-SIS) is an inflammatory disease characterized by the formation of granulomas, tiny clumps of inflammatory cells, in one or more organs of the body. When the immune system goes into overdrive and too many of these clumps form, they can interfere with an organ’s structure and function. When left unchecked, chronic inflammation can lead to fibrosis, which is permanent thickening or scarring of organ tissue.
This disorder can affect almost any organ in the body, including the heart, skin, liver, kidneys, brain, sinuses, eyes, muscles, bones, and other areas. Sarcoidosis most commonly targets the lungs and the lymph nodes, which are an important part of the immune system. When it affects the lungs, it is called pulmonary sarcoidosis. Ninety percent or more of people diagnosed with the disease have lung involvement, however disease presentation and severity varies widely among patients.
Despite the best efforts of researchers for more than a century working to better understand the complexities of this disease, sarcoidosis remains difficult to diagnose with limited therapies. Many patients suffer for years before arriving at the correct diagnosis or discovering the best treatment plan, although we’re coming closer to understanding the mechanisms.
About the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
The Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) is dedicated to revolutionizing the way this disease is treated, improving the quality of life for patients, and to finding a cure for this disease. Since its establishment in 2000, FSR has fostered over $4 million in sarcoidosis-specific research and provided resources to tens of thousands of patients worldwide. With strategic funding, efforts to engage patients in research, and by promoting collaboration among researchers worldwide, we are expanding the understanding of sarcoidosis every day.
Learn more at www.stopsarcoidosis.org.
