92-Year-Old Makes Cinnamon Rolls for Sunday's Valentine Run in Portland
Submitted by: Francie Fitzpatrick Communications
2012-02-06 12:23:44
Martha Padden, a 92-year-old Vancouver woman, will be handing out her homemade cinnamon rolls at the 8th annual Valentine Fanconi Anemia Run/Walk Sunday in Portland. She's been making them every year for this event which raises money for research of Fanconi Anemia, a genetic and life-threatening disease that leads to bone marrow failure and cancers in children and young adults.
Vancouver, WA (OPENPRESS) February 7, 2012 -- Martha Padden, a 92-year-old Vancouver woman, will be handing out her homemade cinnamon rolls at the 8th annual Valentine Fanconi Anemia Run/Walk Sunday in Portland. She's been making them every year for this event, which raises money for the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund. Fanconi Anemia, a genetic and life-threatening disease, leads to bone marrow failure and cancers in children and young adults.
Why cinnamon rolls?
"I wanted to help make this event fun so people would keep coming back," Martha Padden says. "Plus, my grandson Jake always loved them." Jake passed away from Fanconi Anemia in 2003.
Both serious runners and families will enjoy this event, which offers 5k, 8k and 12k routes. Runners and walkers, who all receive a long-sleeve T-shirt, take off under the Morrison Bridge and run along the Willamette River. All end back at the bridge for coffee, hot chocolate and homemade cinnamon rolls. Attendees can join the bone marrow registry, with a simple cheek swab test, free of charge after the race.
Cost is $30 per adult, $15 per child for individuals who register online at www.valentinerunportland.com before Feb. 10. Groups of four adults who register together before that date get a discounted rate of $27 each. Participants can also register in person Sunday before the race starts for $35 per adult, $20 per child. Prizes will be awarded to the top three male and female finishers, the top finisher in each age group and people with the best costumes.
Fanconi Anemia is one of the inherited anemias that lead to bone marrow failure. It is a recessive disorder: if both parents carry a defect in the same FA gene, each of their children has a 25 percent chance of inheriting the defective gene from both parents. When this happens, the child will have FA. The average life expectancy for a patient with FA is 24.7 years, although there are now patients living into their 30s, 40s and 50s thanks to continued research. Visit www.fanconi.org to learn more about the disease and the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund.
