As summer winds down, it’s time to post an update and to express our gratitude once again.
First of all, thank you for your support for the June OCD Walk in Boston. Here’s the photo of 2017 Walking With Nathaniel Team. Not quite everyone is accounted for; some members had to leave early and our Canadian team of 5 (The Bangs Family) missed the photo. Our Team’s fundraising efforts topped $8,000.
In July, Judy, Carrie, Daniel, and I went to San Francisco for the annual OCD Conference, our family’s 6th. Each time we say it can’t get any better, but it does. Carrie and I moderated a BDD Panel in which three sufferers shared their stories and answered questions. As I looked around the room at the hundred or so gathered, I had to remind myself that six years earlier there wasn’t this kind of interest in knowing more about BDD.
Judy and I also offered a support group for caregivers of BDD sufferers. Twenty parents attended, and as each told his or her heartrending story, there were nods of understanding around the room and even some shared laughter. It was rewarding to see them connect and support each other, even well after the session ended.
The BDD Special Interest Group met during the conference to set up our agenda for the year. Our family is privileged to work with researchers and clinicians from around the country and abroad to promote awareness, increase funding, and encourage research. Some clinicians are now offering online CBT therapy, and research continues to provide insights into the brain anomalies in the visual cortex present in BDD sufferers. Word is getting out about the disorder so that diagnosis and treatment is happening earlier for many people.
Thank you for supporting our efforts. It is making a significant difference.
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