National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day - May 12, 2009
Bremerton, Washington - On May
12, 2009, residents of Bremerton will join millions of people
worldwide to observe Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. Led by the National
Fibromyalgia Association, the theme for this year’s campaign is
“Fibromyalgia Affects Everyone” and focuses on the far-reaching effects
of this common, chronic pain disorder—from broken lives to the economic
costs for patients and society.
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An estimated 10 million men, women and children in
the United States suffer from fibromyalgia, which is characterized by
chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain
processing, sleep disturbances, and fatigue.
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For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.
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Total healthcare costs over 12 months are about three
times higher among fibromyalgia patients compared to patients without
the disorder
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Fibromyalgia costs the U.S. between $12-$14 billion each year
As most of my readers know, I have fibromyalgia and it affects my life in a multitude of ways. The most painful of all is the misjudgment by friends and family, assuming I am lazy or a slacker. I wouldn't wish fibromyalgia on anyone else, but when I am at my lowest and someone makes a comment like, "You're not that disabled" when I ask to park near a door to a restaurant, I know there is still much work to do to gain the public's understanding.
“Fibromyalgia Awareness Day provides an opportunity
to educate others in our local community about this life-altering
disorder—and to bring hope to the millions of people who suffer from
it,” says Port Orchard resident Carol Wilkerson.
ABOUT AWARENESS DAY
In 1993,
Tom Hennessy, the founder of RESCIND, INC. (Repeal Existing
Stereotypes about Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases),
designated May 12 as International Awareness Day for Chronic
Immunological and Neurological Diseases (CIND). The date was chosen to
memorialize the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the English army
nurse who inspired the founding of the International Red Cross.
Nightingale contracted a paralyzing, CIND-like illness in her mid-30s
and spent the last 50 years of her life virtually bedridden. Despite
her illness, she managed to found the first-ever School of Nursing.
Awareness Day activities take place worldwide in an effort to increase
awareness of chronic pain illnesses including fibromyalgia.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FIBROMYALGIA ASSOCIATION:
The
National Fibromyalgia Association is a nonprofit organization whose
mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the
quality of life for people with fibromyalgia. The NFA publishes a
quarterly magazine, Fibromyalgia AWARE, and hosts an award-winning website at www.fmaware.org.