Answer TTP
Walk to raise awareness of rare blood disorder afflicting mother
When Annie Maynard was diagnosed with TTP, she had no idea what it was.
“Even my (Peterborough) doctor didn’t know,” said Maynard, who was diagnosed in Toronto.
After a heart attack at 28 and a stroke at 30, Maynard was diagnosed with TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) in 2013.
She’s one of three of every one million Canadians diagnosed each year.
TTP is a rare autoimmune blood disorder, with potentially fatal complications resulting from internal blood clotting.
Just eight months after giving birth to her son Jake in September 2011, Maynard started having chest pains at her sister’s one night.
A trip to Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) turned into a flight to the Toronto General Hospital.
With doctors unable to explain what happened, Maynard was sent home three days later.
In January 2013, she suffered a stroke.
She spent about a month in PRHC learning to speak and write again.
Then, in September 2013, a severe headache and numbness in her hand and face sent her back to PRHC.
She remembers felling sick to her stomach that night before falling asleep in the hospital.
When she woke up a few days later, she was in Toronto Western Hospital.
That’s when she was diagnosed with TTP.
Maynard spent the following six months in Toronto hospitals, receiving plasmapheresis treatments, replacing the plasma in her blood.
She received up to 18 bags of plasma a day, taking four hours to complete.
In April 2014, the mother of two went into remission.
To help raise awareness of the rare disorder, Maynard and her mom are hosting a Walk to Answer TTP Together in Peterborough on Sunday.
The walk corresponds with walks across the country to raise awareness and funds for research for TTP.
Along with a small team of family and friends, Maynard is walking from King Edward Park on Princess St. up George St. and back, striking out at 2 p.m.
The team will be decked out in black T-shirts, red hats and carrying balloons to draw attention to the cause.
They’ll be handing out brochures about the disorder and collecting funds, too.
NOTE: To make an online donation, go to www. ttpwalktogether.myevent.com