On May 25th of this year I was diagnosed with a disease I had never heard of. The name sounded strange and at first I had a hard time even saying it. Sarcoidosis?? To make matters even worse the only people who had heard of it are people who watch the T.V show House on a regular basis. Wait hold the phone, I have a "House" disease? One of those diseases that no one can identify until the last few minutes of the episode after all the doctors try everything and the patient is nearly dead. Then, Dr. House, a doctor with a pain med addiction tries something that is super risky and the patient miraculously gets better... That is what I have? WTF??? Sarcoidosis is a rare, often chronic inflammatory disorder that causes the formation of granulomas, or clumps of inflammatory cells. This can occur in almost any organ in the body, most commonly affecting the lungs, lymph nodes, skin and eyes. While this disease affects as many as 200,000 Americans, there is currently no known cure and treatment options are limited and often ineffective. My sister has inspired the idea that I need to fight not just for me but the disease itself. My sister has battled with systemic lupus for years. However throughout that time I have watched her give back to others more than she has ever taken. This has inspired me to flip the narrative. I have chosen to support the Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research (FSR) by fundraising for Team KISS! KISS stands for Kick In to Stop Sarcoidosis, and that’s what you'll be doing by supporting my page. FSR is the leading nonprofit dedicated to finding a cure for this disease and improving care and treatment options for sarcoidosis patients. The funds all go directly to FSR and their programs for improving patient education, supporting patients and their caretakers, and of course, funding research to find better treatment options and one day, a cure. So why Stand Up For Sarcoid? As of now the main thing that sarcoid had taken away from me was my ability to compete in stand up paddling races. Let me be clear I am actually able to paddle and can physically race. However this year I chose not to. After being diagnosed with a chronic lung disease I could not get myself to compete. My racing engine was not the same and I did not feel that the emotional frustration was worth it. My goal is to flip that narrative and face my fears. In one years time I plan to paddle 1000 miles. My goal is to raise $10 for every mile paddled. In this time I plan to enter multiple paddle races with the goal of raising awareness of this rare chronic disease. Why? Because I can... Please consider helping me reach my goal. Together, we can Stop Sarcoidosis! - Ted