Reset search
🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️
  • Sabrina Burgener
  • Sabrina Burgener

🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️

I’m a biomedical scientist — cycling through France and walking the Camino from Porto to Santiago—to raise awareness for Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS), a rare and life-long inflammatory disease. Read more
FollowInsightsInsightsCalendarCalendarPhotosPhotosShareShareBucket list
InsightsCalendarPhotos
  • Trip start
    May 22, 2026
    Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    City of Brisbane

    May 11 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    11 days left before I start:
    1000km for CAPS

    Cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) are a group of ultra rare but lifelong autoinflammatory diseases that cause recurrent fever, pain, and systemic inflammation.
    Affecting only a handful of people per milion, CAPS is caused by a genetic mutation that lead to an overactive immune response, where the body mistakenly drives inflammation even in the absence of infection.

    I’m studying the immune system, and the mechanisms that underpin inflammation. But science alone is not enough - we must raise awareness, amplify patient voices, and support the communities living with CAPS every day.

    That’s why I’m taking on
    🥾1000km for CAPS 🚴‍♂️

    A journey across Europe: cycling through France and walking the Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compostela in support of people living with CAPS through the work of ANZFAID

    1000km. One mission.. Raising awareness for CAPS.

    Any type of support is appreciated and thank for:

    https://anzfaid.org/1000km-for-caps/    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    A stop in Swiss Alps

    May 21 in Switzerland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Tomorrow 1000km for CAPS starts in Colmar; however, today I admired Swiss Alps in all it’s beauty!

    The view was breathtaking and the snow ❄️ made everything peaceful; however cold is not always so quiet and magic. For CAPS patient especially FCAS patient, cold temperatures are a major factor inducing flares, a mechanism still not well understood.Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Family support

    May 25 in France ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Rare diseases do not only affect individuals - they affect families, friendships and communities.

    For people living with CAPS and other rare autoinflammatory diseases, support from family members, clinicians, researchers, and patients advocacy groups can make an enormous difference.

    When conditions are rare and often invisible, community matters. It creates connections, understanding, and hope!

    Every conversation, every shared story, and every act of support matters.

    Thank you to my family to support “1000km for CAPS” and share a few km’s together!    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Magic along Loire

    May 30 in France ⋅ ☁️ 32 °C

    The last 350km, surrounded by a stunning landscape of wild flower fields and one terrific château after another magnificent historic site, I imagine how it must be living with recurrent fevers, painful inflammation, rashes and fatigue for year without knowing why.

    Unfortunately for many CAPS patients this is reality. And it breaks my heart.

    Symptoms are unfortunately often mistaken for infections, allergies, or simply dismissed as unexplained illness. As a result, diagnosis can be delayed for several years!

    We don‘t always see how someone feels, or their daily challenges that remain invisible to others.
    Just as these remarkable châteaux standing here since centuries, people living with CAPS demonstrate extraordinary resilience every day!

    Behind every story, every person, and every achievement, there is far more strength than meets the eye    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Goodbye Loire

    June 2 in France ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The last 500km have been filled with pure pleasure of discovering nature in all it’s glory.

    Filled with stunning views on wild flower fields, the sweet smell in the air and a deep sense of appreciation for life, I leave the Loire Valley and the bike behind me and make me on my way to the next challenge:

    Walking the Camino from Porto to Santiago de Compostela.    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Resilience is the quiet courage to keep walking.

    June 4 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Resilience is the ability of a person who is exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, and importantly to adapt, transform and recover.

    Whether living with CAPS or walking the Camino Portugués, each day invites a choice:
    to meet uncertainty with hope
    to face pain with patience, and
    to take challenges with determination.

    Living with a rare disease like CAPS teaches you that every step matters. Walking the Camino teaches me that every step matters.

    Resilience is not reaching the finish line without difficulty; it is discovering that strength grows with every step.

    Buen Camino to 🥾1000km for CAPS🚴‍♀️!

    https://lnkd.in/gAahvbqk

    #Resilience #CAPSAwareness #RareDisease #AutoinflammatoryDisease    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler
    11

    Mindfulness

    June 8 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment with openness, awareness, and without judgment.

    It is about noticing what is happening right now—our thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, and surroundings—rather than becoming lost in worries about the future or regrets about the past.

    For people living with Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes, mindfulness can be a powerful tool. CAPS is a lifelong condition that can bring uncertainty, unexpected flares, fatigue, pain, and challenges that others may not always see.

    While mindfulness cannot change the diagnosis, it can help people navigate the emotional and mental demands of their disease, and find resilience, and importantly create space for what matters most, even on difficult days.

    As I am walking the Camino, I am clear that my path is not about reaching the Santiago or the daily goal as quickly as possible. Rather to stay patience, perseverance, and the ability to adapt when conditions change like having a long boring concrete road ahead of you.

    There are days when the path feels smooth and days when every step takes effort. Progress may be slower than expected, and a rest or even two is sometimes the wisest choice rather pushing through.

    Mindfulness reminds us that we do not have to carry the whole journey at once. Whether living with CAPS or walking the Camino, sometimes the most important step is simply the one in front of us. 💙👣

    #Mindfulness #CAPS #ChronicIllness #RareDisease #Resilience #OneStepAtATime #PresentMomentLiving    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Camino Espiritual

    June 10 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Every step is a reminder of the privilege of being here—walking this ancient spiritual path, meeting people from around the world, and finding moments of reflection, simplicity, and connection.

    I appreciate the journey, the challenges, the lessons, and the beauty that unfolds along the way.
    Buen Camino. 💛🥾    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    Viability

    June 12 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Last year I had been part of Kate Boorer FCA, GAICD and Fiona Pearman #ActofConfidence leadership program - highly recommend to everyone!

    And important part of the program is to define your values.

    Mine always has been
    🔹 Integrity — doing what is right, even when it's difficult, and ensuring that actions align with words.
    And more importantly is the value of
    🔹 Scientific Integrity; the commitment to conducting, and communicating research honestly, transparently, objectively, and responsibly.

    My Act of Confidence is to be more Visible.

    What I haven’t thought about how visibility can be a power to my values.

    Values are not just statements we write down. They become real through the choices we make every day.

    For me, integrity means using my passion for science to help people, be a voice for people living with rare autoinflammatory diseases, raise awareness of their challenges.

    I use visibility to shine a light on communities like people living with CAPS, whose experiences are often overlooked.

    This is why I started 🥾1000km for CAPS 🚴‍♀️ together with Australia and New Zealand Forum for AutoInflammatory Diseases (ANZFAID) a fundraiser for individuals and families affected by Cryopyrin-Associated Periodic Syndromes (CAPS).

    While many people have never heard of CAPS, those living with it face significant daily challenges that deserve greater awareness, understanding, and support.

    Please help me to be visible on my last few kilometers on Camino, and to be voice for people living with CAPS, to raise awareness of their disease and importantly their challenges.

    There only a few kilometers left to reach the end of 🥾1000km for CAPS 🚴‍♀️ every donation as little as $5 matters.

    Thank you for your support to be visible!

    https://lnkd.in/gAahvbqk    Read more

  • Sabrina Burgener🚴‍♀️ 1000km for CAPS 🚶‍♀️Traveler

    The end of a beginning

    June 14 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    Today, I reached Santiago de Compostela.

    After cycling through France and walking the Camino via the Spiritual Route, the 🥾 1000km for CAPS 🚴 journey has come to an official end.

    Standing in front of the cathedral, I feel a mix of emotions:
    relief, accomplishment, sadness, exhaustion — but above all, gratitude.

    Gratitude to every person who supported this journey. To those who donated, shared posts, followed along, offered encouragement, and you, who took the time to learn about CAPS and other rare autoinflammatory diseases: thank you.
    Your support transformed a personal challenge into a collective effort to raise awareness for a community that is too often overlooked.

    A special thanks goes to a few people in the background, first to Sharon Kensell and @KathieHolmes from Australia and New Zealand Forum for AutoInflammatory Diseases (ANZFAID), who did an outstanding job in providing me with fantastic equipment and daily support. And to my family, Camino buddy, and friends back home in Brisbane and Switzerland, who fostered my daily motivation to keep going.

    Over the past weeks, I have been reminded that every journey is easier when we are not alone. Yet for many patients living with rare autoinflammatory diseases, the journey remains incredibly difficult. As I learned from patients, one of the greatest challenges is not necessarily a lack of scientific knowledge of the disease and its mechanism.
    The challenge is often access – especially in Australia, and in remote areas in Europe.

    It is on us to change this, to allow people timely access to diagnosis and the right treatments, so that they can live with less pain, fewer complications, and greater dignity.

    Throughout this challenge, I have been inspired by the work of patient advocacy organisations such as Australia and New Zealand Forum for AutoInflammatory Diseases (ANZFAID), which continue to amplify patient voices, advocate for equitable access to care, and bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world impact.

    Reaching Santiago is therefore not the end. It is the beginning 🌟

    The beginning of continuing to follow my scientific passion, to contribute to research that advances our understanding of inflammatory diseases, and to use my voice to advocate for people living with rare diseases whose stories deserve to be heard.

    The Camino may be complete, but the mission continues, and the next adventure is in front of us.

    https://lnkd.in/gAahvbqk

    #1000kmforCAPS #RareDisease #AutoinflammatoryDisease #CAPS #PatientAdvocacy #Research #BiomedicalScience #HealthEquity #ANZFAID #CaminoDeSantiago    Read more

    Trip end
    June 15, 2026