Encephalitis Conference Sept 05 (Modified by Environmental Risk Analysis Program)

The fourth annual FACES Encephalitis Conference will be held September
9-11th, 2005 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

February 24, 2005 -- The FACES (Friends And Caregivers Encephalitis
Survivors) Encephalitis Conference is proud to welcome friends old and
new to attend and learn more about encephalitis, from the people it has
touched.

Encephalitis Global Inc. President Wendy Station is an encephalitis
survivor. She says, “It’s our annual time of the year to raise
awareness, and let the world know that we have a voice. So often,
problems such as encephalitis are swept under the carpet, as folks just
don’t understand… and don’t wish to take the time to understand. We
would all like to change that.

Judith Ashton of Encephalitis Global Inc. and also an encephalitis
survivor adds, “Those who survive encephalitis often face a range of
serious cognitive and physical impairments. For example, some
survivors, particularly those who have suffered encephalitis due to the
same virus that causes cold sores, the herpes simplex virus, may be
left with a variety of memory problems, including amnesia. Other
survivors may be left with attention and organization problems and
far-ranging difficulties in processing information. Many have speech
and language difficulties. Some experience profound fatigue and sleep
disorders. Survivors also may have a range of physical disabilities,
from paralysis to partial paralysis to significant balance and gait
problems. They may also have seizure disorders. Encephalitis may touch
anyone from young infants to elderly persons and those who survive are
likely to require extensive rehabilitation services and may or may not
regain former functional abilities to work or to live independently.

"This illness is so frustrating for some survivors and their families
because many of the disabilities we have as a result of contracting
encephalitis are not readily apparent. Thus, those who don't know us
well may not understand how difficult it may be for us even to perform
basic daily activities. A noisy environment may trigger a seizure. We
may not be able to process information quickly enough to drive a car or
perform a job. We may not be able to concentrate long enough to do
basic housekeeping activities. We may be overwhelmed by the
complications of simply writing out checks. Our balance may be so poor
that we cannot use the public transportation system."

A guest speaker at FACES will be Elaine Dowell from The Encephalitis
Society in the United Kingdom. Ms. Dowell is a founding member of that
Society and parent of a son affected by encephalitis.

“Some forms of encephalitis are transmitted by insects, including the
West Nile virus," says Wendy Station. "So often, West Nile’s most
serious impact is measured by the basic fatality count. We hope for
people to learn about the encephalitis survivors, and the struggles
they are facing. Our message is simple. We have survived. We are here.
And we are fighting back.”

For more information, visit Encephalitis Global at
www.encephalitisglobal.com and click on FACES 2005.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WESTNILEVIRUS-L is an email discussion group for communication
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Received on Thu Feb 24 12:08:06 2005