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Why WE fold.
Today is All Saints Day.It is a fitting day to start this.
Why do you fold?That is a question that you should answer for yourself.
The first and foremost reason that I fold is for my Father.He passed on January 4 2009.He was diagnosed with COPD 5 years ago and in the following year got diagnosed with prostate cancer.He did well in his treatments for his cancer but his overall heath declined everyday.It was painful to watch him decline everyday.There is nothing more painful than to watch a loved one die slowly everyday.
Some of the other reasons I fold is for my kids.I want to make a difference in their future.My sons mothers side has a few different kinds of cancer that runs in her side of the family.My daughter has my health issues that I have received from my family along with the unknown from her mother.Her mother was adopted so we have no knowledge of her family history.I also fold for myself.I might have illnesses in my future that we fold to help find a cure.
 
Who I fold for
Arthur Corbitt       My father
Matthew Corbitt   My son
Samantha Corbitt My daughter
 

Thanks for sharing and being the first one. Please let your team know the come come share also.

I didn't know if it was OK to reply here, but Tank got it started, so it's his fault! 
 
Today's article by Ducrider hits home with me on several levels and it was a great first post to kick off the series.   All the best to your family and I look forward to the day when this work leads to cures.
 
Rick

Yeah hope to see comments and encouraging words here! A big thank you goes out to Ducrider for leading the way, hope to see more sign up from our team and others.
 
The story of folding for your family is probably one we'll here often and is definitely one of the most important motivators.

Preventative measures.

I sit in the living room, the only one awake (other than the cats) in a household of four, and the house is alive with sound.  Electricity hums through the ceiling fans, keeping the warm air circulating down so I don't freeze.  The refridgerator hums and ticks as it runs through another cooling cycle. Our oil furnace kicks on with first the blower, priming the airflow, and then the burner, heating the air that keeps things just right. My keyboard makes it's peculiar mooshy 'tapping' sound that anyone with modern laptops is familiar with (I surely do miss the hardcore keyclick of a good Model-M).  Most importantly, my pcs whine away in the office, their fans producing a pitch of white noise that I can tell in an instant when something is wrong.

One of the many reasons I fold is because about 2-3 kids out of every 1000 are born with the inability to enjoy my little 'quiet' cacophony.

I started thinking about statistics I've heard about illnesses over the years since I started folding and have come to the realization that there is literally NO human in the world that is unaffected by a folding related disease of some sort. 

Birth defects, auto immune diseases of ALL types, diabetes, alzheimer's, ALS, Muscular distrophy . . . Hell, I have asthma and passed along mild alergies to my kids, which are caused by malformed protiens of some sort or another.

And let's not forget the big 'C'.  I have a coworker who faces the loss of a father, my Aunt just went through a horrific scare . . .

Think about that, folks.  We're ALL affected by protein misfolding of some sort or another.  And not in the abstract, either. I am willing to bet that we all have a disorder of some kind that was caused by misfold and there isn't a living example of a 'perfect' human to be found.

Kinda sobering.

But, we're all doing something about it, something that may allow all 1000 out of 1000 kids be born with functional, if not perfect, hearing.

So, the next time you are looking for a justification for spending a few more bux on the ol' electric bill, remember that there are all kinds of folks who never knew what something as wonderful as a fully maxed out pc sounds like.

d

Updated with today's post. Thanks drougnor. Different style, really like that you tied together two things that are easy to take for granted on these forums (computers, and hearing ) to folding.

My Daily Journal for 11/03/2010:
 
I Want to start out by saying it has been great to be here folding with some of the coolest guys  I know. The biggest thing for me is the fact that my son has autism & some other physical things go on with him & if this folding app can help solve this & others things like the fact that in my family there is a history of cancer & diabetes, I want pull up my sleeves & fight the good fight & get rid of all illness thought out the world!
 
 

Updated with SBBs! Short and sweet, thank you.