Harold Ramis dies from complications due to Vasculitis

[Pierre42]

Not sure if anyone here has noticed it, but actor Harold Ramis (Dr Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, etc) has died from complications due to Vasculitis.

Major news worldwide, people all over are suddenly asking "what is vasculitis".

[julia]

Big news around here. Wonder what form, He lived close to where I am, sounds like was a nice man.

[Dirty Don]

Sad that it took him finally, good that he was famous...

[Psyborg]

Sad that it took him finally, good that he was famous...

I was wondering what the form was myself. The articles just say Vasculits...though they reference the VF so there is that.

[NicShaf]

Very sad. Even the Vasculitis Foundation site doesn't specify what form of Vasculitis he had.

[annekat]

Perhaps the VF doesn't know what kind he had. It appears that whoever does know is not sharing it, or whoever it is shared with cannot digest such a long and hard-to-spell name. It does seem surprising that the VF wouldn't name the type. I suppose it matters to us more than anyone.... but vasculitis is vasculitis, and to find a cure, perhaps it needs to be looked at as a whole and not just as individual rare diseases. However, I, too, would like to know what type he had, and perhaps it will still come out.

[NicShaf]

Perhaps the VF doesn't know what kind he had. It appears that whoever does know is not sharing it, or whoever it is shared with cannot digest such a long and hard-to-spell name. It does seem surprising that the VF wouldn't name the type. I suppose it matters to us more than anyone.... but vasculitis is vasculitis, and to find a cure, perhaps it needs to be looked at as a whole and not just as individual rare diseases. However, I, too, would like to know what type he had, and perhaps it will still come out.

Good point, when grouping all the forms of Vasculitis together to create the impact each individual disease would not...it probably only matters to those of us with a form of Vasculitis. Either way, my prayers go out to his family.

[annekat]

Good point, when grouping all the forms of Vasculitis together to create the impact each individual disease would not...it probably only matters to those of us with a form of Vasculitis. Either way, my prayers go out to his family.

That is what Marta is trying to do with her Find the Common Thread campaign, to get awareness for all autoimmune diseases as a group, including the different forms of vasculitis, so that perhaps the similarities in cause can be discovered and similar approaches to a cure can be found for all of them. Her work can be found in searches on the web or on this site. Friday is Rare Disease Day and many activities are planned.

I also send out my prayers to his friends, of which I'm sure there are many, and his family.

[marta]

Harold Ramis is helping us from the other side by starting the conversation.

We are all Weggies (although some don't like that name, I use it because I feel more control over the situation if I call myself a Weggie). We are all Vascies too, part of Vasculitis. We are all part of Rare Disease Group, but what's causing all our illnesses is Autoimmune Disease. If we find the cause of that we will have a cure for Vasculitis, many Rare Diseases and Wegeners's Granulomatosis and so will others in our family (since they know that Autiommune has a genetic component.) Lowest common denominator is Autoimmune Disease.

So go out (only when you have enough energy) and bang your drum from whatever circle you feel most comfortable in, but bang that drum or nothing will change.

Find The Common Thread | the first little ripple towards finding a common thread to autoimmunity

[Dirty Don]

Harold Ramis is helping us from the other side by starting the conversation.

There's something ironically appropriate to this...who ya gonna call?