Making the Blogosphere Aware - Oct. 2, 2009

Blogging Comrades:

I would like to ask for your help in a matter near to me.

October 2 is a tough day for My Love. Not only is it my wife's birthday, but it is also the seventh anniversary of the day our daughter (Thing 1 to you, Megan to us) was diagnosed with juvenile myositis, or JM for short, a rare autoimmune disease that can have life-threatening consequences.

We have been lucky for the most part. In 2002, after two months of stumbling through the offices of several baffled dermatologists and pediatricians, we found a doctor who recognized what our girl had the instant she laid eyes on her. Within a few more weeks, we found the leading U.S. expert in the disease who started an aggressive treatment that we believe turned our daughter's quality of life toward the better.

Today, Megan is doing quite well -- not in remission yet, but getting closer and otherwise like most any other 9-year-old girl you might happen to meet.

Others haven't been as fortunate.

Many children we've met over the years still battle with heavy doses of immunosuppressants or struggle with related complications.

A few have even died.

This October 2, as a birthday present for my wife, I'm hoping to mark the day by increasing the blogosphere's awareness of JM. My aim is to get as many blogs as possible to post an article that I write about the disease (I've written several before -- if you need to refresh your memory, read this).

The post will include a link for people to donate to Cure JM, the fully grassroots nonprofit My Love chairs.

Cure JM is a 100-percent volunteer organization that funds medical research into the cause, treatment and eventual cure of juvenile myositis and its variants. The group also offers family support opportunities to help JM children, their parents, friends and relatives cope with the disease. To date, we are more than halfway to this year's fundraising goal of $500,000, nearly all of which goes directly to JM doctors to pay for research fellowships, specialized lab equipment and studies into the disease's cause and cure.

If you are interested in having your blog participate on Oct. 2, leave a comment with your e-mail address and blog URL below. I'll add you onto the master mailing list.

If you know of other bloggers who may be interested in participating, forward this link on to them or have them e-mail me at alwayshomeanduncool (at) gmail (dot) com.

Thanks.

Kevin from Always Home and Uncool