National Rare Disease Day

February 28th is National Rare Disease Awareness Day.....It is a day to recognize those who suffer from rare diseases. It is difficult for anyone to cope with any medical illness or mental health issue. RARE diseases add an entirely new level of complexity because these diseases are so uncommon. This means that not many people have the disease, numerous doctors may be unaware of the disease and how to treat it, and people in general don't understand because they do not know about the disease. It is so important for people to educate themselves about rare diseases. You never know when you or someone you know may be affected by one of these rare diseases. I feel that one of my duties to myself and others who suffer from rare diseases is to use my voice and spread awareness of Behcet's Disease. I think that everyone should advocate for their disease and increase awareness and information about these medical problems. Promoting awareness helps in so many important ways. For instance, those who may have strange symptoms and who have visited numerous doctors for years (like I did, and like so many others) may hear about a disease that may explain their symptoms. It can assist in diagnosis as well as treatment of these diseases. Treatment methods can expand with increased information and clincial trials can be started. Research will advance the study of effectiveness of treatments, the potential etiology (cause) of these diseases, and more.

Just want you all to take a moment and recognize February 28th!

Thanks!

Mandi