One-day Patient Conference in Bethesda, MD, March 24, 2012
 

A free one-day patient conference will be held in Bethesda, MD on Saturday, March 24, 2012. The conference, hosted by the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation (AA&MDSIF), is one of seven one-day patient conferences in 2012.

This will be a multi-track conference for AA, MDS, and PNH patients and their families. Those who live on the East Coast should plan to attend this conference or the July conference in Newark, NJ.

The conference will include parallel (simultaneous) sessions on AA, MDS, and PNH, sessions to help you live with and cope with these diseases, and professionally-facilitated support sessions with your peers.

Conference attendance is free. Breakfast and lunch are included. Discounted hotel rates are available to those who want to stay overnight.

Conference Program

Come hear about the latest information about diagnosis, treatment (including transplants), and medical research from leading experts, including:

• Dr. Maria Baer, University of Maryland
• Dr. Hetty Carraway, Johns Hopkins Hospital
• Dr. Neal Young, National Institutes of Health
• Dr. Catherine Broome, Georgetown University
• Dr. Aristotle Giagounidis, St. Johannes Hospital
• Dr. David Margolis, Medical College of Wisconsin
• Dr. Monica Bessler, University of Pennsylvania

Patients and family members will also be able to

• meet medical experts face-to-face
• hear about the latest treatments and medical research
• learn skills for managing life with a bone marrow failure disease
• have your questions answered
• learn how to be your own advocate for the best care
• get to know other patients and family members like yourselves
• attend professionally-facilitated support sessions

Special programs included:

• Standing Up for Your Health (lunchtime program)
• Celebration of Hope (concluding program)

Living with Aplastic Anemia, MDS or PNH

When:

Saturday, March 24, 2012, from 8:30am to 5:00pm
Check-in begins at 7:30am.

Where:

Bethesda Marriott (Google map)
5151 Pooks Hill Road, Bethesda, MD 20814
301-897-9400 (main), 800-228-9290 (toll-free), 888-236-2427 (Marriott toll-free reservations)

Discounted hotel rates are available if you make reservations by Wednesday, February 29, 2012.
Hotel parking is available but is not free.
See other hotel information on the AA&MDSIF event page.

Registration:

Use the online registration form to register for the conference.
The registration deadline is Wednesday, March 14.

For more information see the AA&MDSIF event page.

Are you planning to attend?
 

I'm not sure yet if I'll be able to attend this conference but wondered if any of you will be there?

My wife and I have already registered. In fact, our doctor is supposed to speak at this event too. Whether we go or not will depend upon many things. Life is pretty much week to week right now. This coming Thursday we are to find out what my wife's treatment options are, and I guess depending on that and when she starts treatment, and so forth will determine is she is even capable of being among other people at the time.