Hi Everyone

[annekat]

Barbara, you are right, anything to promote awareness of WG and other AI diseases, and it is never too early in a child's life to start. So many kids have allergies, this could be explained as a similar thing, where the immune system goes haywire, but of course you are right that it couldn't be done in a way that would scare the children. Just that they should be taught about the immune system in general at an earlier age, so they understand that aspect of the workings of their bodies. And more should be taught about other areas of the body's functioning, too, and other diseases that friends or family members or neighbors might be going through. Thinking back to when I was kid in school, we did learn about the major systems such as the skeletal, circulatory, nervous systems, and the various organs in the body. But I don't remember learning much of anything about the immune system or very much about any kinds of diseases. I'm not sure what use kids would have for all this information, but at least some of the rare diseases would be more out in the open and talked about and people's eyes wouldn't just glaze over when their scientific names are spoken. People would be more prepared as young adults and older for knowing the signs to watch for and being proactive about getting medical attention. Doctors would then be forced to also be more proactive, one would think, as the general public becomes more aware. Oh, yes, it is all very idealistic. As for autoimmune diseases, I think Marta and others are really on the right track in getting them looked at as a group, and the ultimate goal being to find "the common thread" in what causes people to get them, which could lead to effective and life-saving treatments that are better for us than the meds we are now taking, or better yet, a cure. Anyone not familiar with Marta and her work will find out about it here soon enough. Her blog should not be too hard to find, check the "stickies" in the forum index under general WG issues, or find one of her posts, which will include the link to the blog.

In any case, Barbara, your idea of promoting events for kids that are fun, and also further their awareness, is a very good one.