Awareness

This month is very special to me, after all organ donation has saved my life two times now! I am one of the lucky ones. There were just over 28,500 transplants in 2011 and I was one of them, but there are still over 113,000 still waiting. Those are men, …

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month!  Do you know what that means??  It’s time to take action in the fight against pediatric cancer!  This month, I want to share some important statistics and resources about childhood cancer and how to become an advocate for all of the kids who have, …

Fibromyalgia, in a large part, now controls my life. In fact, it gives chronic pain to more than 10 million Americans, and 3-6% of the global population (most of whom are women, but can also effect men and children).  Fibromyalgia is also common in families, and my family is no …

Click to read part 2 The last of two Hepatitis in my trilogy may surprise you. The first one, Alcoholic Steatohepatitis is a syndrome of progressive inflammatory liver injury caused by long-term or heavy alcohol abuse and is one of the leading causes of cirrhosis in America. This form of …

Did you know that every year almost 70,000 young adults between the ages of 15 and 40 are diagnosed with cancer? Did you also know that the survival rate for this age group has remained the same over the past three decades? Fortunately the Livestrong Young Adult Alliance is working …

National Endometriosis Awareness Month is upon us once again! If you are anything like me, you may wonder, what on earth does it mean and how can I be a part of it? Granted it is not like October where every venue you enter is flooded with pink and where …

Click to read part 1 Hepatitis C (HCV) — My nemesis. Though only 20-30% of HCV patients develop cirrhosis of the liver, it is one of the leading causes of liver transplants in America. There are a small percentage of patients that can clear the virus on their own within …

Lately, I’ve been trying to figure out ways to bring about more awareness about Rheumatoid Arthritis. By awareness, I mean making people aware of the facts surrounding this disease and erasing some misconceptions. So today I want to present a little list of Myths vs. Facts. Myth: RA is what …

An estimated 16 million people in the United States have diabetes, a condition in which the body is unable to convert the glucose from food into energy. At best, diabetes is a nuisance and involves regular medication and a change in lifestyle; at worst, the disease can lead to serious …

A person with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative disease that causes problems with movement and speech, often has characteristic signs and symptoms. These include a tremor at rest, rigidity, unstable posture, slow movements, hesitant speech, and a mask-like facial expression. But these are late symptoms of the disease – and often …