Chicago Vasculitis Foundation 2012 Symposia

**Trudy** · 03-04-2012, 09:37 AM

I found more details on the Chicago Vasculitis Foundation 2012 Symposium. It seems it will be very interesting. Is anyone going?

Knowledge. Community. Power. The 2012 Vasculitis Symposium - Chicago | Vasculitis Foundation

Al · 03-04-2012, 03:55 PM

It would be fun, I think, though I doubt I will be there: I would have to take a red eye, and probably sleep through the interesting parts. Anyone else?

Al

**Kami** · 03-05-2012, 06:16 AM

I would like to go but don't have the funds at this time.

**mama2005** · 03-05-2012, 12:40 PM

My hubby and his mother went last year but I want to go this year so we are making arangements to go.

**Trudy** · 03-05-2012, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by mama2005

My hubby and his mother went last year but I want to go this year so we are making arangements to go.

Did they find it helpful? To me it seems odd that Chicago with 4 major medical school hospitals does not have a vasculitis center. I am buying tickets, but right now I am still too sick for such a long day. I hope to be out of this wheelchair by then!

**mama2005** · 03-05-2012, 11:51 PM

Yes they found it helpful. The information was very well presented and when they went I was just diagnosised so they had very little information about my disease or even vasculitis. the best part for my hubby was that he got to talk with others to see how it would change his and my life. I know its hard for anyone to find out you have a diease but it was a long year for us. We are young parents who found out our son was autistic and that I have this crazy disease. So I think him getting to speak to others about the disease and hearing all the hopeful news was a relief to him.

**JanW** · 03-06-2012, 09:05 AM

When I went to the symposium in Long Beach a couple of years ago (about six months after diagnosis) it seems like it was very helpful for the caregivers (especially young couples) where the sick person was too sick to attend. I had dinner in a group that included a young guy (he was under 30) whose wife fell ill with a vasculitis much rarer than ours (because believe me at VF conferences we are the largest group) that had inflammed her heart and left her bedbound. They had had their first child less than a year (something in the delivery set off the AI to begin with). They had limited resources and worse were from Alaska so almost no access to doctors who even knew what they were dealing with. He was so happy just to talk with us, even though we didn't share the same disease, at least it wasn't foreign to us (and of course he met specialists that he could ask about his wife's condition.

**drz** · 03-06-2012, 11:22 AM

Will they make a DVD available of some of the presentations like they do at some other conferences? That is cheaper way to get some of the info for those of us who feel unable to travel to such a conference and attend meetings all day long.