About 3 years ago Arvydas Puidokas, a good looking, hardworking and full of life fellow was living an American Dream. He successfully ran his own trucking business, lived in a warm home surrounded by his beautiful wife Svetlana and two year old daughter Veronica.

He had all the happiness in the world that he wanted, but one day an accident that seemed so insignificant changed Arvydas' life forever. When fixing his truck, Arvydas injured his hand that ultimately led doctors to the fact that he has an extremely rare immune system disease – Scleroderma.

Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis, is a chronic connective tissue disease generally classified as one of the autoimmune rheumatic diseases. The word "scleroderma" comes from two Greek words: "sclero" meaning hard, and "derma" meaning skin. Hardening of the skin is one of the most visible manifestations of the disease. It is a very rare disease. Medical statistics show that only one out of six million people are diagnosed with Scleroderma. Scleroderma Morphia (the one that Arvydas has) is rarer; there are only few cases in the entire world of this type of Scleroderma.

Basically, Arvydas' immune system became the enemy of his organs and skin. Today he is not able to work and support his family – his wife and two daughters. This active guy, who loved basketball and camping trips, today can hardly walk or use his hands. He is always in need of constant medical attention. More about Arvydas

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