Sunshine, Smiles, and Success for 2008 National Conference

It was an enjoyable and informative time for all at this year’s 2008 National Patient Education Conference, held July 25–27 in Manhattan Beach, California. Hosted by the Foundation’s Southern California Chapter, the Conference provided a comfortable forum for the scleroderma community to socialize with one another and share valuable information and personal experiences. Over 390 individuals gathered at the Manhattan Beach Marriott for the wide array of featured speakers and workshops.

Cindy Coney

Mary Ann O'Neil

Daniel Furst, M.D.

Foundation Board member and conference speaker Mary Ann O’Neil helped all to affirm at Friday’s Welcome Reception, “I’ve Got The Power!”, while  Cindy Coney’s keynote address entitled, “Things Will Be Okay,” provided a motivational address to usher in the promise of Saturday’s workshops.

Workshop topics relating to Pharmacology and Juvenile Scleroderma attracted many attendees and were all well received, as were others dealing with the management of symptoms. In addition to workshops, book signings were also offered both on Saturday and Sunday by Cindy Coney, M.Ed., Karen Gottesman, and Gary Barg.

Following Saturday’s workshops was the highly anticipated Awards Night Banquet on Saturday evening, featuring television’s host of "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette," Chris Harrison, as the emcee for the Foundation’s awards ceremony. Offering a surprise token of appreciation, the Foundation presented Chris with a well-deserved birthday cake to thank him for donating time on his birthday to join everyone at the banquet.

As a final wrap-up to the conference’s festivities, Foundation Medical Advisory Board member and president of the Southern California Chapter, Daniel Furst, M.D., gave a closing speech on research. Dr. Furst left many in high hopes with his report on current and future research efforts, signaling that the odds of delivering better treatments and an eventual cure were increasing daily for scleroderma patients.

All conference attendees were happy to hear that for another year, their collaborative efforts in furthering the mission of the Scleroderma Foundation have helped to bring about more research, better treatments, and greater support for all those affected by scleroderma. Indeed, many attendees are already awaiting the promise of next year’s National Conference, scheduled to take place July 17–19 in St. Louis, Missouri, with the hopes that even more strides will be made and more lives improved in the ongoing fight to cure scleroderma.