Generations articles from December 2007

Generations archives from December 2007

"Blazing a trail in research": National Ataxia Foundation: 51st Annual Membership Meeting.(Calendar)
December 22, 2007... The Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel--March 28-30, 2008 The National Ataxia Foundation Board of Directors and the National Ataxia Foundation Phoenix and Tucson Arizona Ataxia Support Groups would like to welcome you to the 51st Annual Membership...

From the desk of the executive director.
December 22, 2007... This is a very exciting time at the National Ataxia Foundation. As of this writing, the Foundation is reviewing more than 40 quality ataxia research proposals from scientists around the world. The most promising of these studies will be...

Featured board member of the NAF: Dr. Harry Orr.(National Ataxia Foundation)
December 22, 2007... Harry T. Orr, PhD is the Research Director of the National Ataxia Foundation's Medical and Research Advisory Board and since 2006 has also been a member of the Foundation's Board of Directors. Dr. Orr is a full professor for the...

Surprising discovery in SCA8 research.(Spinocerebellar ataxia type 8)(Clinical report)
December 22, 2007... Thank you for the opportunity to talk about our work on SCA8. SCA1, 2, 3 and a number of the other ataxias are caused by polyglutamine expansions that for long time have been known to be part protein coding regions in their respective genes....

Ride Ataxia II: 620 miles in 13 days.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Last year, Kyle Bryant and his recumbent tricycle were joined by his Dad, Mike, his Uncle Steve, fellow ataxian David "Spinner" Henry, his elementary school friend, Andy and other dedicated supporters for the 2,400 mile ride from San Diego to...

Potential causes of sporadic ataxia.(Disease/Disorder overview)
December 22, 2007... This is going to be a clinical review of the sporadic ataxias. I want to put the sporadic ataxias in the context of the medical disorders that may cause a sporadic ataxia. I will do that by first giving you an overview of the ataxias. By...

Abilities expos raise ataxia awareness.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The National Ataxia Foundation exhibited at the Texas (San Antonio), Southern California (Long Beach), and Minnesota (Minneapolis) Abilities Expos this year. NAF is an official sponsor of the Abilities Expo, the largest show in the...

Information so you can relax: planning for the financial future of a person with a disability.
December 22, 2007... The following briefly explains the four major planning components necessary to develop a Comprehensive Life Plan if you have a family member with a disability. Each component will be addressed in detail over the next five issues of...

What is happening to me?(Essay)
December 22, 2007... "What is happening to me?" That was the question that I had been asking myself during most of my teen years. I started noticing something was "off" before then, but I ignored it. My first real memory that something was wrong happened at my...

Living with Episodic Ataxia.
December 22, 2007... I first became aware that something about me was different around the age of five. I was lying in bed not understanding what was happening to me. I felt light-headed, uncoordinated with jerky motions and I was having problems talking. I...

The vision no one sees!(Poem)
December 22, 2007... This poem was submitted by George Matray of New Jersey in memory of Harvey Nevis on the tenth anniversary of his death. Mr. Matray said the following about Harvey, "As boys growing up together, Harvey was always stronger and faster leaving me...

Foundation rated 4 stars for fourth straight year.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Charity Navigator, America's largest and leading charity evaluator, recently announced that the National Ataxia Foundation has earned its fourth consecutive 4-star rating for its ability to efficiently manage and grow its finances. ...

Taking care of yourself.(Caregiver's Corner)
December 22, 2007... Good Friends Are Good for You Good friends may help you live longer. In an Australian study, people with large networks of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22 percent. Good friends discourage unhealthy behaviors such as...

Three Dollars.(Poem)
December 22, 2007... Three Dollars Her hope Lay on the desk with the others, Checks for $50, $100, $200. Hers with the telltale scrawled handwriting. Imagine her a few days ago. Head hung over the table, Fingers and thumb...

Exciting discoveries revealed at the All California Ataxia Research Meeting.
December 22, 2007... The Sixth Annual All California Ataxia Research Meeting (ACARM) was held Oct. 14 in Irvine, CA. The weekend started off with a Get-Acquainted dinner held the night before. The program began with Dr. Susan Perlman from UCLA speaking about...

One word that changed my life forever.
December 22, 2007... "What is ataxia?" I asked myself. I had never heard of that word. The doctor told me it means lack of coordination. Is this lack of coordination temporary or permanent? What caused this sudden lack of coordination? These questions were...

Second NAF Ataxia Investigators Meeting draws top researchers.(National Ataxia Foundation)
December 22, 2007... The National Ataxia Foundation is pleased to announce that the Second NAF Ataxia Investigators Meeting (AIM) will be held prior to the NAF Annual Membership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on Mar. 25-28, 2008. Leading ataxia investigators from...

NAF raises awareness at American Society of Human Genetics Meeting.(National Ataxia Foundation)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The American Society of Human Genetics Meeting was held Oct. 23-25 in beautiful San Diego. It was a bit "smoky," due to the fires which occurred in southern California at the same time as the meeting, but beautiful none-the-less. This...

Alabama Ambassador celebrates IAAD.(IAAD Celebrations)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Dianne Williamson, Alabama Ambassador, donated a one-day sponsorship on behalf of NAF to the North Alabama public radio station WLRH. Multiple times throughout the day on Sept. 25, the station mentioned IAAD and NAF in its broadcasts.

Louisiana Chapter.(IAAD Celebrations)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Carla Hagler, President of the Louisiana chapter of the National Ataxia Foundation had the following printed in the Sept. 13, 2007 issue of The Times Picayune Slidell Edition: Ataxia is an often fatal degenerative neurological disorder that...

NAF's first Walk n' Roll for ataxia was a huge success.(IAAD Celebrations)(National Ataxia Foundation)(International Ataxia Awareness Day)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The San Diego Ataxia Support Group held the First Annual Charley McLaughlin Walk n' Roll for Ataxia on the bay front in beautiful downtown San Diego. The event culminated nearly a week of celebrations to commemorate International Ataxia...

Seattle Area Ataxia Support Group celebrates International Ataxia Awareness Day for first time.(IAAD Celebrations)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... I had received an e-mail from Kyle Bryant, from California, who was going to be in the Seattle area. He wanted to know what the Seattle Area Ataxia Support group would be doing for IAAD. As we are a pretty unstructured support group, we...

San Diego Ataxia Support Group.(IAAD Celebrations)(International Ataxia Awareness Day)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The San Diego Ataxia Support Group held a fundraiser for the third year in a row to celebrate International Ataxia Awareness Day. Over $780 was raised that day, plus other donations were sent directly to the NAF. The fundraiser was held at...

Village of North Syracuse, New York.(IAAD Celebrations)(International Ataxia Awareness Day )(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... I have served as Coordinator of International Ataxia Awareness Day for the Village of North Syracuse since 2000. The awareness of ataxia was greater than ever this year. The Central New York Ataxia Support Group and the Muscular Dystrophy...

Greater Atlanta Area Support Group.(IAAD Celebrations)(International Ataxia Awareness Day )(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The Greater Atlanta Area Support Group had a great International Ataxia Awareness Day event. It started with Governor Perdue signing a proclamation naming Sept. 25 as Ataxia Awareness Day. Several of the members of our support group were able...

IAAD T-shirt fundraiser and awareness raiser.(IAAD Celebrations)(International Ataxia Awareness Day )(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The information I've learned since my son was diagnosed with ataxia made me to want to raise awareness and money for research. So, I decided to design an International Ataxia Awareness Day T-shirt to sell as a fundraiser. The shirt company...

Seek A Miracle Ataxia Group.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... Seek A Miracle Ataxia Group (SAMAG) is a self-help group registered society in India. Our objectives are to spread awareness about ataxia and to work for the welfare ofataxia sufferers. The IAAD SAMAG meeting in Secunderabad, India on...

National Ataxia Foundation represented at important scientific forum.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... What do blueberries, spinach, the sleep patterns of fruit flies, and ataxia have in common? No. they are not topics for a new reality based sitcom, although they would make for an interesting combination. They were some of the many items...

My kids, my ataxia.
December 22, 2007... "For someone with ataxia the world changes." During the 1980's, stories and articles by John B. Gallant, Jr. were published in Generations. He died in 1988 and his daughter, the next generation, Tracey Gallant Balis is continuing in his...

$20,000 raised for SCA7 research.(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... On Sept. 21 the Jordan C. Hubbard Foundation (JCHF) made a special donation to the National Ataxia Foundation. Through a partnership with NAF, the JCHF was proud to present a check in the amount of $20,000. This was the highlight of an...

Chicago Area Ataxia Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The November meeting of our support group featured our annual silent auction/luncheon. Here we get together for holiday fun and good food, courtesy of the potluck style creations of our members. The silent auction has always been an enjoyable...

Denver Area Ataxia Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)
December 22, 2007... The Denver Area Ataxia Support Group met on Sept. 8 at Swedish Hospital in Englewood. Eleven people attended the meeting. We had a potluck meal. Practicing genetics counselor, Katherine Howard, of UC's Health Sciences Center, addressed the...

Greater Atlanta Area Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... On Sept. 23 we held our annual IAAD Picnic at Lake Lanier and about 25 people attended to celebrate and be together. We cooked hot dogs and hamburgers and everyone brought a side dish and a dessert. Needless to say there was plenty of food...

Los Angeles Ataxia Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)
December 22, 2007... The Los Angeles Support group met on Sept. 8 at the Westside Center for Independent Living in the city of Venice Beach. The group was treated to a presentation by the Neurological and Physical Abilitation (NAPA) INSTITUTE, a center for...

Maine Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)(Calendar)
December 22, 2007... The Maine Support Group had a successful year in 2007. The group's programs were interesting, informative and very well attended. Currently, we have approximately 30 members. The Casco Bay YMCA in Freeport has been the site for most of our...

Northeast Florida Ataxia Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)(Brief article)
December 22, 2007... The Northeast Florida Ataxia Support Group met on Jun. 30 at the Bridge Restaurant in Palm Valley for lunch. We enjoyed good food, a lovely view of the water, boats and great company. We discussed our fall meeting and having our group...

Tampa Bay Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)
December 22, 2007... Our next meeting will be Nov. 10 when we will have our annual Thanksgiving dinner. Each member brings part of the meal and we enjoy both the food and the fellowship. This month we will have a graduate student from USF, Sarianna Lang, joining...

Twin Cities Area Support Group.(Chapter and Support Group News: from Around the Country)
December 22, 2007... There were nine of us present. Two new members came. We talked about the Abilities Expo, which was Sept. 7-9. Our group staffed the NAF booth. Talk of traveling and the Memphis NAF Annual Membership Meeting last March was discussed. Lori...

Calendar of events.(Calendar)
December 22, 2007... January Saturday, January 12, 2008 San Diego Ataxia Support Group Meeting 1-3 p.m. at Sharp Rehabilitation Center, 2999 Health Center Dr. (behind Sharp Memorial Hospital Contact Earl McLaughlin at (619) 447-3753....

Molecular genetic characterization of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type-5 (SCA5).
December 22, 2007... SCA5 is a dominantly inherited form of ataxia, which we first described in a large American family descended from President Lincoln's grandparents. After the discovery of this family, two other families were shown to have ataxia genes that...

Memorials and in your honor.
December 22, 2007... The National Ataxia Foundation is grateful to those who have made contributions in memory or in honor of their friends and families whose names are listed below. This list reflects contributions made from August 2007 through October 2007. We...