When Robin Grapa laid unconscious on her hospital bed and a priest read her last rites, it seemed implausible that she would ever be able to see the sunshine of the following day. With her parents praying incessantly at her bedside, Grapa somehow beat her illness and now is trying to raise money so that others may not go through what her family has.
Being diagnosed at the age of 19 with aplastic anemia, a non-contagious disease that occurs when bone marrow stops making enough healthy blood cells, Grapa said that most people die or become too sick to function during the later stages of the illness.
But, Grapa beat it, and now she and her mother are taking steps toward the future by hiking from coast-to-coast, a feat of more than 5,000 miles, in celebration of life and hope.
Grapa and her mother, Patty Laatsch, both originally from Wisconsin, began their hike Feb. 4 in Delaware and are currently walking the rolling hills of Ohio on the American Discovery Trail's southern route in an attempt to raise donations and sponsors to reach a $1 million goal. Earlier this week, the team passed through Pike, Highland and Adams counties.
When The Times-Gazette spoke to Grapa, she was in Richmond Dale, just east of Chillicothe in Ross County.
Being in remission now for seven years, the 26-year-old believes her survival against aplastic anemia made her realize how important life is and her role in helping raise money to increase research and support programs to those suffering with the disease.
"I am a miracle case," Grapa said. "I was treated between my freshman and sophomore years in college and I started getting healthy quickly and I've been healthy ever since. Most of the times, patients relapse and some are transfusion dependent. There's a reason for everything in life and there's a reason I'm this healthy, and I'm trying to take advantage of it."
Experts estimate that 30,000 U.S. residents have aplastic anemia and the latest statistics show that 1,069 people died from the disease in 1999.
With many sufferers viewing Grapa and Laatsch as inspirations, Grapa responded that: "That's what pushes us along. I heard of this one family where a wife's husband was diagnosed with it. And, almost every patient that learns they have it, you're scared and you feel alone because most people haven't heard of it. You just don't know if there's a support group there or organizations out there for it. This woman, when she found out about her husband, she was scared to death and her dad had an article about us. The wife said that she felt like an angel had fallen on her lap and she didn't feel alone anymore and felt that here's a story where someone has survived and beat it. The awareness is coming naturally so it's great."
So far, Grapa and her mother have raised approximately $82,000 and have walked more than 700 miles through rain, wind and snow. They won't stop until they reach California.
"We're walking across the county and we're taking over a million steps, so when you think of it that way, a million dollars isn't that big," Grapa said.
To sponsor Grapa and Laatsch, visit their Web site at http:chatter.4imprint.com/ourhike/ or to make a donation to the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation, visit www.aamds.org.
