Rare Disease Patient to Walk from Los Angeles to San Diego to Raise Awareness of Condition


Los Angeles man Eric Borstein was diagnosed with a terminal illness four years ago. Next month he will walk 160 miles to raise awareness of his condition after responding to treatment.

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Los Angeles resident Eric Borstein will walk 160 miles from his home in Los Angeles to San Diego beginning Sunday, September 22 to raise awareness of his rare disease, pulmonary hypertension (PH).

After collapsing from massive right heart failure in 2020, Borstein was diagnosed with PH, a disease that causes high blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. There is no cure for this debilitating and life-threatening condition. Four years later, he is marking the occasion with a 160 mile walk down the coast. While he has responded well to treatment and can accomplish walking nearly a marathon a day, this is not typical for most people who live with PH.

Before Borstein begins his journey on the 22nd, he and his family will host the first annual Where is EB? 5K to kick-off his walk. The 5K will begin at 9:00 am through 11:30 am, starting at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. All are welcome for a morning filled with fun, light refreshments, in and support of those affected by PH.

Borstein hopes that sharing his story will bring together his network and the PH community to amplify awareness and further support research into improved treatments, a cure, and programs. He shared, “One of the things that I’ve always wanted to do, if I can help save one person’s life or if I can help motivate somebody to extend their life, then one day when I’m not here, I’ve done my job. When I was introduced to Team PHenomenal Hope, it just hit me. They’re helping people through the means that I’m actually doing on a daily basis. Anything I can do to get involved to help motivate other patients, I want to do.”

Team PHenomenal Hope board chair Dr. Harrison Farber shared, “We are grateful to Eric and his family and we are thrilled that he is representing our organization while he takes on this incredible challenge. Where Is EB? represents the strength, resilience, and unrelenting spirit of those living with PH, which embodies what we strive for at Team PH.”

Team PHenomenal Hope is a 501(c)3 organization, founded in 2012. They implement programming that focuses on improving the quality of life for those affected by all forms of PH, including removing patients from isolation, providing hope, and meeting unmet needs. Additionally they fund medical research into improved treatments or a cure for those who suffer from PH.

To register, learn more, or donate to this event, visit the event website at whereiseb.org. Questions can be directed to [email protected] or call 877-646-4673.

Media Contact

Katie Werner, Team PHenomenal Hope, 1 877-646-4673 102, [email protected], teamph.org

SOURCE Team PHenomenal Hope

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