Friends, family and colleagues of a woman with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura — a rare blood disorder — put on their walking shoes on Saturday to raise money to fight the condition.

The walkers gathered at the Botanical Gardens at 8am and walked to Albuoy’s Point in Hamilton and back again as part of the second annual Walk To Answer TTP event. They took part in the walk to support Leila Madeiros, who was first diagnosed with TTP in 2012, and have already raised more than $2,000 in sponsorship.

“I am always humbled and amazed at the generosity and kindness of so many people and thankful for the wonderful people I have met along the way of my TTP journey,” Ms Madeiros said.

“Living with TTP can be challenging but I am extremely grateful for the love and support that has been shown to me and my family in so many ways and for that I am eternally grateful.”

The international walk is held annually to raise funds for research to understand TTP in order to develop a more targeted form of treatment and to potentially find a cure.

TTP is a rare autoimmune blood disorder for which there is no known cure.

It is diagnosed at a rate of three to four in one million people per year.

The disorder can have potentially fatal complications as a result of internal blood clotting with damage to critical organs such as the brain, heart and kidneys.