Peter & Ski, thanks for the introduction and welcome!
I’m sure that most of you who have been searching through the Bulletin Board for any length of time will have seen me posting from time to time. The GDF and the some of the people who have so willingly given countless volunteer hours over the years are certainly not strangers to me. It was awesome to finally connect (in person) with many of these people at this past years conference in Charlotte.
It is always interesting for me to observe new patients coming here when newly diagnosed, often times scared with very little information about the disease, looking for information and support. One commonality is that most of the newly diagnosed come to the bulletin board with a desire to become an active participant in their health choices. One of the most fulfilling aspects of this board is to see patients going through the process of initially coming to terms with this new illness; then learning all they can about it, and in the end becoming an active participant in their health and treatment choices, FULLY informed and prepared to advocate for themselves when required.
It is also been great to see people come back, sometimes years later after treatment to check in and share their experiences with new people who are now going through the initial stages of their Graves’ treatment.
I look forward to continuing to partner with all of you in this global community to help to provide support and education to those diagnosed with Graves’disease.
Best to all of you!
James
