FAMily Living
November 2022
Celebrating 25 Years of Service
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Our Next Support Group Will Be:
December 12, 7 - 9 PM ET, on Zoom -
FAM President & Founder Sharon Waldrop, NBC-HWC, will lead a group discussion. If you have a product or service that helps make life easier with fibromyalgia, please share it at the meeting. We will be creating a list of "The Best Gifts for Fibro Warriors" at our next meeting. We also will discuss what is on your mind with life and fibromyalgia. If you can't attend, or want to share your idea in advance, please email Sharon.
To attend the Zoom meeting, simply register and you will receive an email link to the meeting. If you have any issues registering for the meeting or using Zoom, please contact Sharon. We will do our best to help you. We want to stay connected with you.
Did you know that you can join Zoom meetings just using the telephone? Your meeting confirmation will include a phone number and passcode you can use instead of a computer. Just look near the bottom of the confirmation email for the telephone information. Tip: If you experience computer issues during or before a meeting, keep this idea in mind.
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The Support Group in it's early years. The Support & Education Group was founded on November 10, 1997 by Sharon Waldrop at St. John Macomb Hospital. |
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President's Message - 25 Years of Service, Giving Tuesday, We are Thankful For You! |
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Hello!
26 years ago I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at the age of 24. I was mad, sad, frustrated and I quickly became bedridden and needed to go on short-term disability. Those were some dark days. The anger turned into motivation for me. Motivation that disability was not going to play a leading role in the remainder of my life. In fact, I was determined to write disability out of my life’s story. The more I learned about fibromyalgia, the more I learned this was possible. One year after this diagnosis I founded the Fibromyalgia Support & Education Group at St. John Hospital which grew into our nonprofit, the Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan. I did this because I realized so many people were suffering. After being trained by the Arthritis Foundation to lead a Fibromyalgia Support Group, I was flying solo starting a group. I prayed that I would have 5-10 people at my first meeting. I had 70 people. Let me repeat that, I had 70 people at my first meeting. I was overwhelmed by the turnout and the countless thanks from tearful participants who were happy to meet others who understood fibromyalgia and also learn they were not alone. I will never forget that night. In fact, that night and every meeting since has continued to fuel my passion for running the group the last 25 years.
While I wish I could say things are way better for people now than they were 25 years ago, that is sadly not true. Over the past 25 years there have been major advances in fibromyalgia:
- Fibromyalgia became classified as disability covered by Social Security Disability Income.
- 3 drugs were FDA approved for Fibromyalgia
- Research shows the Central Nervous System is disordered in people with fibromyalgia
- More research is being done on Fibromyalgia and chronic pain then in previous years.
- Chronic pain became recognized as a disease in and of itself
Even with these advances, people with fibromyalgia still hear from doctors it isn’t real, or you just have to learn to live with it, without getting treatment(s) and support. The United States and world need to do better with helping people with fibromyalgia. It is this belief that has fueled the Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan to grow from a support group into a non profit, to advocate for patients and their families in Lansing and Washington DC, to work with researchers, and to continue to find new ways to provide support and education to people with fibromyalgia and their loved ones. Support and education is at the heart of what we do as they are what turned my life around. I was one of the lucky ones who had a supportive network of friends and family and, after many failed attempts, I built a supportive healthcare team. The quicker you are diagnosed and connected with helpful therapies, the better your health outcome will be. However, even if you have been dealing with fibromyalgia for a long time with no help, it also is possible to create a better health outcome. It just may take more time.
Our group would not be here without everyone who attended a meeting, recommended our group, spoke, donated and/or volunteered. To all of you, I cannot express the depth of my gratitude. The silver lining of COVID was that our group had to adapt and become virtual. Due to being virtual, our Michigan group is now national, and our annual conferences have become international. Our work is far from done. It is clear people all over the world are struggling with fibromyalgia. To all of you I want to say - you are not alone. We call our members the Fibro Family in honor of both family beginning with “FAM” like our organization, and the group being willing to step up and provide support and compassion to one another during the good and bad times. I am truly blessed to know and work with all of you.
Included in this newsletter are some photos from our beginnings and some amazing people who helped build the foundation for our strong group.
It is fitting that this week is Thanksgiving. The holiday that is rooted in gratitude. I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!
The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is Giving Tuesday. If you would like to join us in our mission of providing support, education and advocacy for our community, please consider making a donation to us in honor of Giving Tuesday and our 25th Anniversary. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and we can provide a receipt for your taxes. You can donate the following ways -
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On our website
- By mail - FAM, P.O. Box 1876, Royal Oak, MI 48068-1876
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On Facebook - this year they are matching donations if you set up a monthly donation to our organization through Facebook between now and December 31. A button will be on our page soon to help with doing a donation on Facebook.
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Or, you can start or renew your membership for next year and that helps us too! There is even a "Giving Tuesday" membership option that adds a $10 donation to us with your membership.
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If you use Amazon to buy holiday gifts, or anything throughout the year, check out using Amazon Smile. There is no extra cost to you, and a percentage of your purchases will be donated to the charity of your choice. You are able to select the Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan for your charity.
Every penny helps us improve lives! Thanks in advance for considering a donation during this giving season.
We have some exciting things planned for 2023. We are in the process of planning our meetings for next year. If there is a topic you would like us to cover, or have a suggestion for how we could improve our meetings, please email Sharon. This is your group. We value your feedback.
Wishing you less pain, more understanding, and a better tomorrow!
Sharon Waldrop, NBC-HWC
President & Founder, FAM
If you are experiencing distress, suicidal thoughts, or severe depression, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or click here to chat online with the Lifeline.
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Resources from This Month's Support & Education Group Meeting Presentation:
"When Children Have Pain - from Everyday Aches to Chronic Conditions"
If you missed the presentation, we did record it. If you registered for the meeting, the recording was sent to you on Friday via Zoom. If you did not register, please email Sharon with your full name, email address, city and state for a link to the recording.
Stories about life with invisible disabilities (this could be a good tool to share with family members who are trying to understand your illness):
Pain relief for children:
Book:
Tip: If you buy this book or anything from Amazon, check out using Amazon Smile. It costs nothing extra and donates a percentage of your purchases to your favorite charitable organization. You can select us: Fibromyalgia Association of Michigan. Every penny helps us improve lives.
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Green Light Exposure May Help Reduce Pain & Headaches
from: TIME
Green light therapy is gaining popularity in research for its potential to manage pain. In this article - "Though the science is young and the research is by no means conclusive, in recent years, studies have found that exposing people to light across the green wavelength—either by having them sit in a dark room illuminated by green LED light strips or by giving them green-tinted glasses to wear—can reduce both their severity of pain and the frequency of episodes of migraines, fibromyalgia, and chronic musculoskeletal pain. It can also relieve the anxiety and fear associated with chronic pain." To learn more view the article on TIME.
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Support For Managing Holiday Stress
Looking forward to the “season to be jolly”? For some, the holidays bring un-jolly feelings of anxiety, loneliness and dread, layered upon the uncertainty of another potential COVID-19 winter. Join this Stay Well discussion group to gain emotional support for managing holiday stress. Register at https://bit.ly/3sXXPAT. |
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PAIN
By Irma Baltes
no pain no gain they say
but I can see no gain in this pain
none of my limbs are broken or sprained
yet the pain is very real every day
it's something called Fibromyalgia, they say
so what is there to gain from this pain?
I will tell you, you see
it's not about the pain
it's about the journey you take
trying to cope with the mistake
mistake you say . . .
well yes, nothing is broken you see
so why can't I just simply be
this journey takes years
and where did I go?
to the inner core of my being
what did I find?
endurance, passion, joy and lots more
plus myself along the way
I developed new passions
made new goals
and concentrate on the things I can do
not on the things I can't do!
and learn to love myself not for what I do
but for who I am
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Upcoming Fibromyalgia Support & Education Group Meetings:
December 12 - Group Discussion - And what are the best gifts for someone with fibromyalgia?
January 9 - 3rd Annual Holiday HOOPLA Party on Zoom
February 13 - Hurt vs Harm with Fibromyalgia - Sharon Waldrop, NBC-HWC, Certified Pain Management Coach & FAM Founder & President
Meetings take place from 7-9 PM on Zoom unless otherwise noted. You may also join with a phone. Registration is required to obtain access to the meeting. Each meeting has it's own registration. Please note the two mandatory group guidelines - Being respectful of everyone, and not attending for the purpose of selling products and services during a meeting. Thanks for helping us keep the meeting space positive and welcoming.
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Our goal, improving lives through support, education and advocacy. FAM cannot make recommendations for or against treatments. We provide information to help you and your physician make informed decisions together. |
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