By Ellen Whitton

Getting ready to Glo for Cushing’s.

As the sky darkened over Julia Davis Park in downtown Boise, Idaho, over 600 runners wearing Boise Glow for Cushing’s Awareness t-shirts and all manner of glowing clothes – from shoelaces to tutus – took off from the bandstand to raise awareness of Cushing’s and funds for CSRF.

Before the run, the crowd was asked how many people had had Cushing’s. A few hands went up. Then it was asked how many people knew someone who had Cushing’s. A few more hands went up. Finally they were asked how many people were learning about Cushing’s for the first time, and nearly all the hands went up.

Jordan Morales and his friends Dustin Hughes and Chad Powell decided to organize the event because of Jordan’s mother, Kristi, who has struggled with Cushing’s for many years. Kristi’s experience of delayed diagnosis impressed upon them the importance of raising awareness about Cushing’s syndrome, so that those affected can get a prompt diagnosis and early treatment. Jordan, Dustin, and Chad turned their stellar organizing skills to creating Boise’s first glow-in-the-dark night 5K run, called “BO-GLO” for short, to benefit CSRF and in memory of Kym Grupido, whose Cushing’s was diagnosed too late to save her life. Kym’s neice, Eryn Grupido, was there to run in her aunt’s honor.

In the days leading up to the run, Kristi, Jordan and Chad appeared on Boise’s KTVB local television news to talk about the upcoming event. Kristi gave a very clear explanation of the basics of Cushing’s, while a list of symptoms appeared on the screen. Boise Mayor Dave Bieter signed a proclamation declaring April 2-8 as Cushing’s Awareness Week.

I staffed our information booth in the park. Among those learning about Cushing’s were three students from Boise State University, who had been assigned to do a report on a non-profit agency for their communications class, and happened upon BO-GLO. They will be presenting their project to a class of about 30 people, and their instructor will record it and present it to another class. Events like BO-GLO reach people outside of the medical community, and the next time someone in Boise develops symptoms of Cushing’s, the odds are that much better that someone will recognize the symptoms early.

Joining the event were Bear Silber, who shared his own Cushing’s story with the runners, and Kate Tully, Patient Advocate from Corcept Therapeutics, one of the event’s sponsors. More thanks to Jordan’s family, Katie, Ric, JT, and Melissa, who helped everything run smoothly, and to sponsors Hampton Inn, Fit Mania, Sound Wave Music, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Boise Young Professionals, and Shu’s Running Company.

BO-GLO photographers from Sawtooth Photo Pros have put together a video which captures the thrilling spirit of the evening. You can also find this video through a link on the CSRF Facebook page. Watch it when you need a lift, and we hope to see you in Boise for next year’s run!

If you are interested in organizing such an event in your city, Jordan would be pleased to share his experience. You can reach him by contacting the CSRF at [email protected].