Antelope Valley Legislator Sharon Runner Announces Intentions to put her name on transplant list.

Assemblywoman Sharon Runner announced Tuesday that she has chosen to place her name on the lung transplant list due to a chronic condition known as limited scleroderma.

“After consulting the doctors and my family, I believe that this is the right course of action for me to take,” Runner said.  “I have been living with limited scleroderma for more than 20 years and this surgery will improve my overall quality of life.”

Limited scleroderma, or CREST syndrome, is an autoimmune condition affecting the body’s connective tissue, which supports the skin and internal organs.  The purpose of the body’s immune system is to fight infection and disease; however, with limited scleroderma, the immune system attacks the healthy connective tissue as well. “Since the cause of limited scleroderma is unknown, the treatment options available only focus on the symptoms,” Runner explained.

“I still am fully able to do my job and I am strongly committed to serving the residents of the Antelope and Victor Valleys,” Runner said.  “This year I plan on introducing an important legislative package that will protect the safety of Californians and uphold traditional family values.”

There is an estimated 300,000 people in the United States that have scleroderma and it can be found in every age group from infants to the elderly.  Nearly 80 percent of those with the disease are women.

“God has blessed me with amazing family and friends,” Runner said.  “I would like to thank everyone who has offered a kind word of encouragement, prayers and well wishes during this time.”

Runner plans on having her surgery at UCLA Medical Center. For further questions regarding the surgery, please contact Amy Albin, senior media relations representative for UCLA Health Sciences Media Relations, at (310) 794-8672. 

Please also visit the Scleroderma Foundation’s web site at www.scleroderma.org and Donate Life California’s web site at www.donatelifecalifornia.org for more information.