SARCOID CONNECTION, Sarcoidosis Support-Networking Group

Important Note: September 1, 2003 -- In October 1998 the very first Sarcoid Connection Website began and remained on the Web hosting site, Talk City, for four years until the servers at Talk City were shut down without notice when the company filed for bankruptcy in August 2002. It was a difficult time for thousands of Webmasters who weren't able to recover their Web pages and graphics. Fortunately, most of the Web pages of the original Sarcoid Connection were eventually recovered, and we have found a new home with its own very special address. All information pertaining to sarcoidosis, fibromyalgia, and caregivers published by this Webmaster is now maintained at www.sarcoidconnection.com, not to be confused with material published in the past year at various other Websites using the name Sarcoid Connection.

WELCOME MESSAGE

My name is Chris, and I've been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, as well as a secondary condition called fibromyalgia.

In order to promote awareness and greater understanding of sarcoidosis (and fibromyalgia) with the general public and the medical community, I have been organizing a support-networking group, the SARCOID CONNECTION. The origin and evolution of this Web site is explained on my Sarcoidosis Support Networking Group Origins page. This group communicates via various forums such as the Internet, postal service, telephone service and support group meetings. It is based at my present home in the midcoast area of Maine, but people throughout the world are welcome to participate in any of the forums available to them. There are a number of participants in Australia where I lived for the first 1-1/2 years of this Website's existence. If you have sarcoidosis (with or without fibromyalgia) and/or wish to learn about it, I hope you will make use of the information and forums offered here.

Support Group Meetings -- For those of you in the midcoast area of Maine who wish to meet with others who have been diagnosed with sarcoidosis, especially if you also have developed fibromyalgia, so you can learn more about the disease, adjusting to having it and coping with it every day, Sarcoid Connection Support Group meetings will be held at least once a month in the Wiscasset, Maine area as interest is shown. For information regarding time and location, please contact me via the E-mail link at the top of this page or by telephone at (207) 882-7099. I look forward to hearing from you.

THE PEOPLE I WANT TO REACH

1) I am looking for people like me who have been diagnosed with sarcoidosis and/or fibromyalgia, so I can provide them with information about these diseases and how to cope every day with having them. I will provide information at a layman's level as well as provide sources for, and links to, more comprehensive information researched and compiled by experts. I have kept the information about sarcoidosis and fibromyalgia separate because they are two totally separate conditions. People can have fibromyalgia alone, or it can frequently be a secondary condition for people who already have sarcoidosis or other auto-immune diseases.

2) I also want to find the friends and family of these individuals, particularly those who are, or would become, spousal or family carers/caregivers to the person having sarcoidosis and/or fibromyalgia. The primary caregiver needs to understand that his/her own physical and emotional needs must be addressed, too. I will provide the carers with information about the two diseases, as well as information to help them better understand their own needs as well as the needs of their ill family member or friend.

3) I wish to promote awareness, knowledge, and understanding of sarcoidosis and fibromyalgia to the medical community and general public. In so doing, I want to provide a better understanding of those who must live with "sarcoid" and "fibro" on a daily basis and encourage greater funding for research into the cause(s), treatment, and cure for these two little understood, but frequently occurring, diseases.

TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME
AND LIVE EACH TO ITS FULLEST.

NOTE: The Contents below lists the major sections of this site. When you click on the topic you wish to view, you will be taken to an introductory page that will provide a brief description of each topic. Each descriptive paragraph will contain links to extensive information about sarcoidosis, fibromyalgia, family caregivers, etc.

~~~ Contents/Site Map ~~~

Sarcoid Connection Introduction

Sarcoidosis Information

Support and Caring for Sarcoidians and Caregivers
Includes the Caregiver's Connection

The Reference Library and Glossary

Fibromyalgia Connection and Information

For those people who like to put faces with names, I have set aside a section of this Web site for information and pictures about the Robert and Chris Townsend families of the U.S.A. and Australia. During my life in the mid-coastal area of Maine, I raised my three children, Daniel, Wendy, and Brian. My nearly two years in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia with my wonderful Aussie hubby, Rob, included my stepchildren, William, Sean, Adam, and Nicole.

My time in Australia came just after my diagnosis with sarcoidosis. Although my new hubby and I both speak English, his accent and vocabulary differ considerably from mine. In learning to communicate with Rob, I found I was learning an entirely new version of the English language that was very fascinating, Aussie slang. Rob and I worked together on a project that was fun and eventually evolved into a Web page for our American friends and family to enjoy, "Rob and Chris Townsend's Aussie Slang Dictionary". Because it became a popular part of my site, I again include it for the enjoyment of all who wish to learn to speak "real Aussie."

Since we moved to our home in the woods of Westport Island, Maine, we have been appreciating and sustaining the natural environment around us by developing a "backyard wildlife habitat" that has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation. There are photos of our property and some of the flowers, insects, and animals that share it with us at our Woodpecker Ridge site in the Habitat Gallery of eNature.

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NOTE: I invite you to sign my guestbook or to send me an e-mail
if you have any questions or comments about this site, sarcoidosis, fibromyalgia, or caregivers. Although I look forward to hearing from each of you, please understand that I can't always respond to queries because of my own health challenges.

cmtown@excite.com

Patients, caregivers, medical professionals
are invited to participate in:

Spring 2002 Survey - Evolution of Internet use for health purposes

Financial Statement and Disclaimer: This website has been entirely designed and built at the expense of the Webmaster, expressly for free and unlimited use by family, friends, and the general public. The medical information contained on these pages is informational only and should not be construed as a recommendation of any particular form of medical care. Any such medical information should be thoroughly discussed with a licensed medical practitioner before being incorporated into a personal treatment plan.

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Compiled by Chris Townsend, Sarcoid Connection
cmtown@excite.com
Last Modified on October 10, 2007