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Running for a Cause

(CHICAGO, IL, October 17, 2006) -- When Josh Eisenberg was a child, sometimes the only way he survived physical stress was through intravenously-administered, life-saving medications. On Sunday, he will be running the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon with nothing more than emergency medical instructions written on the back of his running bib #38465. His goal is to run the 26.2 miles through the Second City in about four hours but more importantly to increase awareness of Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) - the life-threatening disease he has - and raise funds for CAH research, education and support.

Josh Eisenberg (left) and his father-in-law, James Rose, at the finish line of the 2004 Chicago Marathon. Soon after this shot was taken, he downed the Coke in his hand with salt in it to replenish his body’s sodium.

"CAH is a readily diagnosed and easily treated condition," says Eisenberg of Chicago, "It is unbelievable to me that children are still dying, suffering disability or incurring severe mental retardation from undiagnosed-CAH because some states [namely Arkansas, Kansas and West Virginia] have not instituted newborn screening for it. I am living proof that there is no reason for those affected by this condition to do anything other than live normal, happy, healthy lives."

It was clear from the moment Eisenberg was born 32 years ago in Fresno, California, that something was amiss. "I was so jaundiced, I was orange," he says. Within days, he was gravely ill but thanks to a lucky guess on the part of his pediatrician he was saved from certain death.

Despite this traumatic start to his life, his parents always treated CAH as if it was just another physical condition. "Like being near-sighted," he explains. He did have severe acne, was always one of the shorter kids in his class, seemed to go to the doctor more often than his peers, liked to eat pickle and crouton salad with French dressing and sometimes had an IV in his room at home, but never felt unusual in any way.

This is exactly how he intends to run the marathon on Sunday. He will walk one minute at the end of every mile but only because he is following the Galloway Method of marathon running. He may drink some pickle juice or add some salt to his Coke at the end of the race to replenish the sodium his body needs but intends to drink nothing more than water and maybe some endurance-formula Gatorade during the race. He will carry a cell phone, wear his Medic Alert necklace and make sure he takes his medications before the race. The only thing he really will be doing differently from others, however, is carefully monitoring his body for signs of impending adrenal crisis: legs that feel like iron, extreme lethargy or nausea.

Josh Eisenberg and his son Andrew who will be in the crowd this Sunday, October 22, 2006, cheering on his father as runs the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon to raise money for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH) research, education and support.

Eisenberg is one of an estimated 20,000 Americans with Classical CAH: an inherited disorder affecting the adrenal gland that can result in life-threatening imbalances in salt and hormone levels. Until last year, however, Eisenberg had never met another person with CAH.

"Attending the CARES Foundation conference in Indianapolis last year, I realized there is an entire community of CAH-affected individuals out there; many of whom have never met an adult with CAH," says Eisenberg of this life-changing experience. Therefore, Sunday's run is also very personal for him, as it is an opportunity to inspire others affected by CAH to believe they can do and be whatever they desire. Moreover, unlike his first run of the marathon in 2004, this time he will be running for a cause.

Funds raised through Eisenberg's run will support the CARES Foundation, an organization committed to improving the lives of families and individuals affected by CAH through proactively advancing research for a cure, educating the public and health care professionals, advocating for universal comprehensive newborn screening, and providing support services and resources vital to the CAH community worldwide.

To make a donation to the CARES Foundation in support of Eisenberg's run in the Chicago Marathon, please visit www.caresfoundation.org and type "Josh Eisenberg" in the In Honor of section of the site's secure, online-donation page; send a check with "Josh Eisenberg" in the memo portion thereof to the CARES Foundation at 2414 Morris Avenue, Suite 110, Union, New Jersey 07083; or contact Eisenberg directly at telephone: 630-207-6366 or email: josheisenberg@hotmail.com.

For more information contact:
Josh Eisenberg
Phone: 630-207-6366
Email: josheisenberg@hotmail.com

CARES and CAH Information Contact:
Kelly Leight
Kelly@caresfoundation.org
2414 Morris Ave., Suite 110
Union, NJ 07083
Phone: (908) 364-0272
Toll-free: (866) 227-3737
Fax: (908) 686-2019
URL: www.caresfoundation.org

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