2009 NMO Patient Session
Thank you to AttendeesOn Nov. 11, 2009, The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation hosted the first-ever Patient Session dedicated solely to those affected by Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) Spectrum Disease. Attendees travelled across the world to gather in Los Angeles, CA, to attend the NMO Patient Session. Attendees also participated in the Patient Session via webcast. Below is a letter to them from the Foundation Founder, Ms. Victoria Jackson. Dear Friends, I wanted to thank everyone for participating in the first-ever Patient Day of our yearly Symposium for NMO. Your presence — your stories, courage, and strength of will — profoundly touched all of us at The Guthy-Jackson Charitable Foundation. We honored our daughter’s vision to bring patients together and you made it happen. It was a real meeting of minds and hearts… I know the “medical” side of the room never experienced anything quite like it. That day changed everyone. Here’s just one example: on the Wednesday the Symposium ended, a press release reported that the Mayo Clinic believed that thousands of NMO patients have potentially been misdiagnosed with MS as a result of a lack of awareness of NMO within the medical community. My husband and I are grateful to all the doctors and scientists who’ve made this battle personal—and to those of you who live with NMO, and took that leap of faith to come to Los Angeles from your faraway homes to join the new NMO community. I’m also grateful to those who couldn’t be here but were with us in spirit, and to so many of you who took part through the Internet. I’m grateful to all our fellow warriors. It was amazing to watch everyone come together in one room to face this disease. I will remember that day in my heart forever. It made our mission that much more critical. You are no longer alone. Together, we will move together as a community — a family — to find a cure. We’re unstoppable. With Love, Victoria Jackson, Founder |
 |
