World Sjogrens Day is July 23rd and by Birthday is Augusut 23rd! So I'm trying to raise $2600 since I will be turning 26 :) 

 

As most of you know, I was diagnosed in February 2010 with Sjögren’s syndrome, the second leading autoimmune disease that affects as many as four million Americans. While many of you may have heard me talk about the disease from time to time, I want to take a moment to explain what Sjögren’s is and the importance of speaking to a doctor about dryness symptoms.

 

When a person has Sjögren’s syndrome, their immune cells attack and destroy moisture-producing glands leaving them with hallmark symptoms such as dry mouth and dry eyes that can lead to many serious health problems if left untreated. While dry eyes and dry mouth are the hallmark symptoms of Sjögren’s, they are also very easy symptoms for both the patient and the doctor to overlook.

 

Right now, it takes approximately seven years for patients to be diagnosed ( I was lucky, it only took me 6 months). One reason for the delay in diagnosis is that patients wait too long to discuss their symptoms with doctors. Additionally, dryness is not always at the top of the list of symptoms that physicians address with patients during every visit.

 

In an effort to educate others about Sjögren’s and encourage people to talk to their doctors about their dryness symptoms, I volunteered to be an Awareness Ambassador for the Sjögren’s Syndrome Foundation (SSF) and have been working on the Defy the Dry campaign. Through the Defy the Dry campaign, we hope to ignite discussions about dryness related to Sjögren’s and, ultimately, reduce the time to diagnosis by 50 percent within five years.

For more information about dryness symptoms and to learn how you can get involved, please check out the campaign website at www.DefytheDry.com

 

So help me raise awareness for World Sjogren's Day and the Defy the Dry campaign and donate today!

(A great amount to give would be $26 to celebrate my 26 years!)

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