The World Autoimmune Arthritis Day was a 6 day long education and awareness event. Beginning May 15th and ending the 21st of May, 2015. Prior to the event beginning one of our board members lost her son from irreversible injuries and damage from a car accident. Barby’s dad was hospitalized and her mom passed away so when the race started she was still laying her mom to rest. The day before the race ended my mom was rushed to emergency surgery to have a pacemaker implanted. Another Board Member was hospitalized 2 days before the event ended and we’re thankful for all she put in before that. As a team we pulled through. All of us everywhere work through our pain and struggles. I commend you all for leading, teaching, raising awareness and educating. Thank you!

I enjoyed attending The Frustrating World of Autoimmune Arthritis Webinar presentation hosted by the (IFAA) International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis co-founders, Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, Tami Caskey Brown, and Kelly Conway, I found it educational regarding access to care, medication management and diagnosis. I took another detour with WE GOT AWARENESS!  SELF-ADVOCACY IN THE MODERN DAY presented by WEGO Health who I’ve advocated for as able over the years. WAAD15 was a great distraction for all that we had going on in our lives. Everyone having fun to raise awareness for Autoimmune Arthritis and even learn about other non profits.

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Our Cheerleader for life!

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World Autoimmune Arthritis Day sources and resources

World Autoimmune Arthritis Day Home http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/

Autoimmune Arthritis Info http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/autoimmune-arthritis.html

News and Multimedia http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/news—multimedia2.html

Meet the Non Profit Race Teams http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/meet-the-nonprofit-race-teams.html

About WAAD http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/about.html

Detours http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/detours.html

There were 5 Detours to attend, a recording is now included.

The Pit Crew http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/-pit-crew-.html

Where you could submit the names of your favorite community leaders to be included on a global map of resources.

Patient Suggested Practitioners: Rheumatologists, Immunologists, Dentists, Hospitals & More http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/patient-suggested-practitioners.html

Where you could submit the names of healthcare providers to be included in a global map for patient resources.

Resource Kiosk/Community Supporter’s http://www.worldautoimmunearthritisday.org/page2.html

The Kiosk included-

The American College of Rheumatolgy http://www.rheumatology.org/default.aspx

The European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) http://www.eular.org/

WEGO Health  https://www.wegohealth.com/

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases http://www.niams.nih.gov

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AND THE WINNER IS….

Power of Pain Foundation!

Coming into the home stretch it was clear 3 teams were going to take 1-2-3, but which order? Throughout the race they continued to pass each other, and it came down to who submitted the most selfies and videos, which continued to pour in until the deadline from POPF’s entire staff and Board Members!

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For your review and education, I’ve compiled each participants website link, so that you can continue to learn and share throughout the year. I hope you find each of the following helpful and useful.

American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, Inc (AARDA) http://www.aarda.org/

Arthritis National Research Foundation http://www.curearthritis.org/

Arthritis New Zealand http://www.arthritis.org.nz/

Canadian Spondylitis Association http://www.spondylitis.ca/

Creaky Joints https://www.creakyjoints.org/

International Federation of Psoriasis Associations http://www.ifpa-pso.org/

International Foundation for Autoimmune Arthritis (IFAA) http://www.ifautoimmunearthritis.org/

International Still’s Disease Foundation, Inc www.stillsdisease.org

Joint Health http://www.jointhealth.org/home.cfm

Lupus Europe http://www.lupus-europe.org/

Lupus UK http://www.lupusuk.org.uk/

National Ankylosing Spondylitis (NAAS) Society http://nass.co.uk/

National Data Bank for Rheumatic Diseases https://www.arthritis-research.org/

National Psoriasis Foundation www.psoriasis.org

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society http://www.nras.org.uk/

Patient Advocate Foundation www.patientadvocate.org

Power of Pain Foundation www.powerofpain.org

Raynaud’s and Scleroderma Association http://www.raynauds.org.uk/

Relapsing Polychondritis Awareness and Support Foundation http://www.polychondritis.org/

Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation(SSF) http://www.sjogrens.org/home/

Spondylitis Association of America http://www.spondylitis.org/

U.S. Pain Foundation www.uspainfoundation.org

Vasculitis Foundation http://www.vasculitisfoundation.org/

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And finally, I raised my glass, #RaiseYourGlass with nothing inside it, but spirit and hope.

You can find World Autoimmune Arthritis Day on Twitter- https://twitter.com/WAutoimmuneAD

Looking forward to next year, I hope you are, too.

~Twinkle V.