Generations articles from March 1997

Generations archives from March 1997

"Forty and Forward" 40th Anniversary Celebration.
March 22, 1997... The 1997 Annual Membership Meeting was even more special because it was also NAF's 40th Anniversary Celebration. NAF's Mississippi Chapter hosted this event and it was the third annual meeting that has been held in Mississippi. Camille...

Researcher Requests Your Participation.
March 22, 1997... Your Participation is Needed in a Survey to Help Improve the Quality of Life of Persons with Disabilities "Hello! My name is Nancy Seyden. I am a person who has lived with a neuromuscular disability for over thirty years. It is my desire...

"International Ataxia Research Update".
March 22, 1997... Dr. Subramony began his talk by acknowledging the many researchers who have contributed to the current knowledge of the ataxias. He began his talk with, "I would like to update you on what has gone on and what is going on. I want to begin at...

"Ataxia Or What?".
March 22, 1997... Another title for this talk might be, How Do You Know l Don t Have... ? That is probably the most common question he is asked: "How do you know I don't have this? How do you know I don't have that? How is this different and how is that...

"The Genetics of Friedreich's".
March 22, 1997... One of Dr. Keat's major research interests is mapping, identifying, and characterizing the disease genes in particular, those that cause hereditary ataxias. She began her studies of Friedreich's Ataxia about fourteen years ago and soon after...

"Relationship of Gene Repeats to Severity of Friedreich's Ataxia".
March 22, 1997... The problem that occurs in the vast majority of the cases of Friedreich's Ataxia (FA), not all, is the abnormal expansion of a specific DNA sequence that occurs within the FA gene. In a normal chromosome the sequence of GAA is repeated a...

Sporadic Ataxia.
March 22, 1997... An ataxia which appears as an isolated or single case, is often called "Sporadic Ataxia". Most of these types of ataxia develop after twenty years of age. It is worthwhile to note that with a sporadic ataxia you don't know if there is any...

SCA2.
March 22, 1997... The trail and tale of SCA2 started on the island of Cuba. There, in the 1980's, a doctor described a very large pedigree or set of families that appear to have an inherited ataxia. A phenotype that was not that different from other ataxias;...

SCA4 AND SCA7.
March 22, 1997... SCA4 Many of you know a great deal about SCA1, SCA2, and DRPLA because these genes have been cloned and have been the subject of great interest over the past several years. SCA4 and SCA7 are similar disorders in that they share a lot of...

ENAF DONATES COOKBOOK TO RESEARCH.
March 22, 1997... The electronic support group, ENAF, has compiled a cookbook and the proceeds are designated for ataxia research. The recipes were gathered by Helen Bishop and Verne Allen from Persons involved with Ataxia from all over the United States. You...

Kristen's Kanes and Karry-Alls.
March 22, 1997... "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." Sir James Barrie Kristen is a young adult in her 20's who loves to write poems, of which some have been printed in Generations. Occasionally, Kristen...

NAF Chapters and Support Groups.
March 22, 1997... This is a list of NAF chapters and support groups. The use of these names, addresses, and phone numbers for any purpose other than requesting information regarding NAF or joining a chapter or support group, is strictly prohibited. We...

MEMORIALS AND IN YOUR HONOR.
March 22, 1997... 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 November 1, 1996 to March 31, 1997....

Tampa Support Group.
March 22, 1997... We met August 31, 1996 in Riverview, Florida at the home of Dan and Pat Caruso. He planned a quick meeting because he was moving to Virginia in September where he took a job. So, we met to say, "See ya', maybe we'll meet again!!!" Dan and Pat...

Northern California Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... The Northern California Ataxia Support Group held its quarterly meetings on Saturday, January 11, 1997, and April 5, 1997, in the recreation hall of Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Lafayette, California. January's meeting was attended by 37...

Northeast Indiana Support Group.
March 22, 1997... December was a time for merriment with little meeting. Merriment included a gift game and jokes shared by a member. Laughter was good medicine. I'd type one if I could remember one. The February 8 gathering will feature Randy presenting...

Arizona Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... Wow! The attendance at our holiday social get-together on December 14, 1996 doubled in size... from six to twelve people! A good time was enjoyed by all! On Saturday, March 8, members of the support group, their family and their friends...

North Texas Support Group.
March 22, 1997... The North Texas Support Group for Ataxia met at the home of David and Billa Ballard in December 1996. The main purposes of our meetings are fellowship, emotional support, and knowledge. It is our desire that we will be able to educate,...

Chesapeake Chapter Support Group.
March 22, 1997... The Chesapeake Chapter of the National Ataxia Foundation (CCNAF) has been very busy since our summer pool party last August! We've not only held two extremely successful "Bi-monthly" meetings, we've been diligently making preparations for the...

San Diego Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... The San Diego Ataxia Support Group is well into its tenth year in existence. What started out to be National Ataxia Foundation's first support group in NAF's 40 year history, is now just one of almost 50 support groups throughout the United...

Los Angeles Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... On March 8, Kay Bell was the speaker. Kay is on the Board of Directors of the National Ataxia Foundation and is the Public Relations Committee Chairman. She showed us a video giving the history of the NAF, report on the 1997 Annual Meeting...

Humor is the best medicine ...
March 22, 1997... Welcome to the Medical Hotline (Adapted from the Psychiatric Hotline) If you are Obsessive-Compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly. If you are Co-Dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you. If you have a case of...

E-NAF Support Group.
March 22, 1997... Our electronic support group continues to grow each week. I do hope by now that those of you who received a free Prodigy start-up kit in Jackson have been able to get them loaded. Please contact me at YGWL30D@prodigy.com, if you have...

Northeast Indiana Cerebellar Ataxia Support Group (NICA).
March 22, 1997... The Northeast Indiana Cerebellar Ataxia Group met on April 12. The fourteen attendees listened attentively as Rev. Larry Merino from Fort Wayne gave an inspirational and motivational talk. Rev. Merino suffers from Crohn's disease and...

St. Louis Area Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... Courtesy of their Support Group Newsletter This is to introduce you to Patty Smith. Patty and her husband Brian were recently appointed as the new St. Louis area support group leaders. Patty has dark brown hair and eyes, is petite, is...

Willamette Valley Ataxia Support Group.
March 22, 1997... A hearty hello to all! Now to share what we're doing as a support group here in Oregon. We have had some dynamic speakers sharing some interesting subjects. At our last meeting, a talk/display featured adaptive technology, and at the next...

Q & A: Medical Concerns Answered.
March 22, 1997... Question: I have frequent backaches, both in the upper and lower region of the trunk. Is this typical of an ataxia patient or is it something else entirely? If this is ataxia related, why does this happen and what do you suggest I do to...

Bob's Testimony.
March 22, 1997... "I don't like it but I will live with it." Those words were written by Bob Vande Brake during his thirteen year struggle with ataxia. "You don't know the answer to all questions, like how prayers works in healing or bad situations. I don't...

It' A Small World After All.
March 22, 1997... Thirteen years ago, Denise Drake (President of Louisiana Chapter) began using a wheelchair to go from place to place. Of course, it took some getting used to but she was a quick learner, determined to adapt to her view of the world from a...

Louisiana Chapter Support Group.
March 22, 1997... Our chapter has been very busy since our last update. Many of the LPP'fers (Louisiana Party People) attended the Conference that was held this past month in Mississippi. We had a lot of fun with all of the parties that were held that weekend...