[at-l] Poughkeepsie Journal dot Com

[lorac4491 at linkamerica.net (Coosa Donaldson)]

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/localnews/stories/lo072004s10.shtml

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Man recalls his mom with 2,100-mile hike
Trek draws focus to nerve disease
By Elizabeth Lynch
Poughkeepsie Journal

Stephen Cozza is walking the Appalachian Trail so his mother's death won't be in vain. 
Gloria Cozza died last July of a severe form of peripheral neuropathy, a disease that destroys nerve endings. A mother of five, Cozza was healthy most of her life. She died seven months after being diagnosed with the disease, which began with numbness in her feet and legs. 

Cozza's mother ''suffered from something she didn't have to die from,'' said Donald Jacob, executive director of the Neuropathy Association, which has been supporting Cozza's hike. 

There are many causes of peripheral neuropathy. The disorder can be crippling and even fatal, but can be controlled with early diagnosis. 

Cozza and his mentor, Patrick Jackson, who walked the trail seven years ago, stopped in Poughkeepsie this week for a furlough from the trail. 

Cozza got off the trail at Bear Mountain Bridge last week and has stayed with city Mayor Nancy Cozean and Jacob, her husband. Cozean praised Cozza and Jackson for working to raise awareness of the disease. More than 20 million people nationwide have the disease, the Neuropathy Association said. 

Started in Georgia 

Cozza's 2,100-mile hike, which began April 1 in Georgia and is scheduled to end early October in Maine, has brought him closer to his siblings, he said. 

His mother's death, said Cozza, ''pushed me to the point where I've got to do something to help myself.'' 

He lives his life for the moment, carrying all he needs to live -- food, water, his sleeping bag, clothes, tents, his journal, lifesavers and gum -- in a backpack. 

Cozza, who goes by the name Southern Man on the trail, said he has met many wonderful people in the 1,400 miles he has hiked so far -- and he has told each about his mother and her disease. 

He has hiked in snow and rain, in freezing temperatures. He's encountered snakes and bears. He has almost slipped off cliffs and he has fallen, dozens of times. 

''Some days you just want to throw your pack over the bridge,'' he said. But he's not quitting. 

He lives on dehydrated meals, protein and granola bars, trail mix and fresh fruit. Most supplies are mailed to him at post offices along the trail, but sometimes he shops. 

Occasionally, he stops in towns for a soft bed, warm shower and to visit a local library to answer the dozens of e-mails he gets in support. 

''Mentally, spiritually and emotionally, my life has turned around 360 degrees. It really helped me,'' Cozza said. 

Elizabeth Lynch can be reached at llynch@poughkeepsiejournal.com 

Resources 

Information about peripheral neuropathy can be found at: 

- The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/peripheralneuropathy_doc.htm 

- Neuropathy Association: www.neuropathy.org 

Anyone interested in creating a neuropathy support group can call Helen Bernstein at 845-462-1775. 

Stephen Cozza can be reach via email: stevecozza8@yahoo.com 

Patrick Jackson's email: patrickjackson13@yahoo.com 


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