Raise Awareness - Vasculitis Foundation

Vasculitis Awareness

Welcome to Vasculitis Awareness Month: #VAM2024

May is Vasculitis Awareness Month, a time dedicated to shedding light on the rare forms of vasculitis. Vasculitis refers to a diverse set of conditions characterized by inflammation of blood vessels, which can affect individuals of any age, gender, or ethnicity. Through education, advocacy, and support, #VAM2024 aims to raise awareness about these conditions, promote early detection, and raise critical funds to improve the quality of life for those living with vasculitis.

Community Heroes uplift people living with vasculitis or their care partners who embody resilience or are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe. To learn more about Vasculitis Foundation’s Community Heroes, click here.

Let’s join together to spread knowledge, support the community, and fund the VF’s mission. Click on any of the boxes below to learn about activities for the month!

2024 Community Heroes

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Annaruth - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Brandi - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Daniel - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Geraldine and Joe Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Jasmine - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Lexey - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Maya - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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YouTube Video UExyNkJ3YXU2dVNtdS11ZER2VEVIb2xkY0pYdnJoQmFpMS4wOTA3OTZBNzVEMTUzOTMy

Nina - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Noelle - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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YouTube Video UExyNkJ3YXU2dVNtdS11ZER2VEVIb2xkY0pYdnJoQmFpMS41MzJCQjBCNDIyRkJDN0VD

Rachel - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Trena - Vasculitis Community Hero 2024

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

The VF’s Community Heroes program uplifts people living with or loving someone with vasculitis. The 2024 heroes embody resilience, courage and determination. Additionally, many are champions in the vasculitis community. These stories are designed to raise vasculitis awareness around the globe.

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Community Heroes 2024

Take Action. Inspire.

#VAM2024 Activities Calendar

Order Your #VAM2024 TSHIRT

Fundraise & Promote on Social Media

Donate to Fund Our Mission

Educate. Empower.

Education Videos

Upcoming Events

Our community is spreading awareness. Show us how YOU are spreading awareness. Post on Facebook, or Instagram and tag @VasculitisFoundation with the hashtag #VAM2024

vasculitisfoundation

Pets make even the hardest days better. Meet Anne

Pets make even the hardest days better. Meet Anne and her furry friend in Greensburg, PA.

We created this Get Empowered Resource Guide to en

We created this Get Empowered Resource Guide to ensure that new patients and healthcare providers know what resources the Vasculitis Foundation has for people with vasculitis. The more you know, the better prepared you are to advocate and make informed healthcare decisions for you or your loved one.

This guide will be available in our new patient Empowerment Kits, launching this fall, as well as at various conferences.

Thanks to @amgenbiotech for helping make this guide possible.

Go, Parker! Parker, who’s living with PAN vascul

Go, Parker! Parker, who’s living with PAN vasculitis, said his victory over his disease is being able to play sports, even during a flare.

Visiting an emergency room can be a stressful expe

Visiting an emergency room can be a stressful experience. When you’re a patient with a rare disease like vasculitis, it can be even more challenging. As both a retired ER physician and the mother of a young adult with vasculitis, Susan Wilson, MD, CPC, has a unique perspective.

In this webinar, Dr. Wilson will discuss how her roles as a parent and medical professional within the high-pressure ER world taught her valuable lessons on how to make the experience better for both the patient and medical staff.

Wednesday, July 17 at 3pm CT. To register, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select, "Upcoming Events."

Submit your questions today! Cassy Sims, MD, a rhe

Submit your questions today!
Cassy Sims, MD, a rheumatologist at Duke Health; Heather Tam, a patient advocate and mother living with vasculitis; and Kayden Carter, a father with vasculitis, will be talking about parenting with vasculitis in an upcoming webinar. They want to hear YOUR questions so they can share the information that’s most important to you. Submit your questions in the comments or by sending us a private message.

For Jackie, there is life beyond vasculitis. Eight

For Jackie, there is life beyond vasculitis. Eight years after her diagnosis, she is in remission and got the chance to ski with her grandson earlier this year!

Join our friends at @everylifeorg for an empowerin

Join our friends at @everylifeorg for an empowering workshop for artists with rare diseases, including vasculitis, on Wednesday, July 17 from 2-3pm ET. This is your chance to gain insights into how art intersects with body, mind, and spirit amid the challenges of rare diseases, and to access valuable resources on assistive technology and adaptive art techniques.

Register now: everylifefoundation.org/rare-artist

People are living with vasculitis all around the g

People are living with vasculitis all around the globe. Meet Suzanne in Homer, Alaska!

Austin, let's get together! Join us for our one da

Austin, let's get together! Join us for our one day, in-person vasculitis conference in Austin, TX. This jam-packed day will feature engaging and informative presentations from medical experts and researchers; educational breakout sessions on pediatric vasculitis, living well with vasculitis, and more; as well as chances to connect with other people who, like you, get what it is like to live with vasculitis or love someone with vasculitis.

Whether you are newly diagnosed with vasculitis or have been navigating a vasculitis diagnosis for years, you will find opportunities to learn, engage, and be empowered.

Saturday, September 7. To register, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select, "Upcoming Events."

A special thanks to our title sponsor, @amgenbiotech, for helping to make this conference possible!

*

Austin, juntémonos! Acompáñenos, un día entero, en persona, a la conferencia de vasculitis en Austin, TX. Sera un día completo con sesiones informativas e interesantes impartidas por investigadores y expertos en medicina, sesiones educativas sobre vasculitis pediátrico, impartido en salas pequeñas, vivir bien con vasculitis, y más; además, habrá oportunidades de conocer a gente que, como usted, entienden lo que es vivir con vasculitis o lo que es tener a un ser querido con vasculitis.

Ya sea que fue diagnosticado recientemente, o que ha vivido con vasculitis por muchos años, encontrará oportunidades de aprender, participar, y ser empoderado. Se traducirán las lecturas de inglés a español en esta conferencia.

Sábado, 7 de septiembre. ¡Regístrese hoy!

Muchas gracias a nuestro patrocinador, Amgen, ¡por hacer posible esta conferencia!

We all know that if you or someone you love is liv

We all know that if you or someone you love is living with vasculitis, it can be challenging. And finding connections with others who have been in your shoes can be just as tough. That's why we've partnered with Inspire to create a safe, empowering online community where you can find the peer support you or a loved one need when you need it most.

To join for free today, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select, "Join Inspire!"

Join us for our Teen Chat on Monday night! "The t

Join us for our Teen Chat on Monday night!

"The teenage experience is challenging as it is trying to balance home life, school, friends, work, sports, etc., but battling a chronic illness on top of that is incredibly difficult. Hanging out with friends and sports practice quickly turned into countless appointments, blood draws, medications, and flare days. Being given the opportunity to connect with other teenagers who are going through the exact same thing has been invaluable! We are able to have the space to vent about our conditions, bounce suggestions/tips off of each other, and connect with people our own age that don’t bat an eye at medical talk! It has truly been such a relief and motivation to continue fighting!"
—Kori, teen living with vasculitis

To register, click the link in our bio and select, “Support Groups.”

Living with EGPA? You can make a difference by par

Living with EGPA? You can make a difference by participating in valuable research. The OCEAN clinical research study is looking for participants 18 years of age or older with EGPA.
To learn more, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select “OCEAN Study.”

Erin has a loving support system! She told us, “

Erin has a loving support system! She told us, “My husband has been to every appointment with me, and is my rock who’s constantly supporting me in every way. My daughter is in college and she checks in as she can. My sister and parents are always here for me helping in any way possible! And my nephew and niece really know how to brighten my bad days.”

Chronic pain and illness can be lonely and isolati

Chronic pain and illness can be lonely and isolating, particularly if you’re not in a relationship. It may be overwhelming to contemplate how to meet someone and form an intimate connection. If you are wondering if it’s possible to date while living with chronic health conditions like vasculitis and how to go about it, join Kira Lynne, a clinical counselor and someone who has lived with chronic pain and illness for many years, as she talks about the ins and outs and the up and downs of dating with what are oftentimes debilitating health conditions.

Wednesday, July 10 at 12pm CT. To register, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select, “Upcoming Events.”

“GPA took all of the hearing in my left ear and

“GPA took all of the hearing in my left ear and most in the right ear. I have a left cochlear implant and a right hearing aid. I don't think music will ever sound good again but I love Queen and try to listen.”
—person with vasculitis

“My victory over vasculitis is enjoying each day

“My victory over vasculitis is enjoying each day and living with grace and gratitude for my blessings.”
—Jeanne

Got an awkward question for your doctor? You’re

Got an awkward question for your doctor? You’re not the only one! This was a recent topic of conversation in our Vasculitis Voices online community—a place where you can safely ask all your vasculitis questions with peers who get it!

To join for FREE today, click the link in our bio @VasculitisFoundation and select, "Join Inspire!"

Hey, parents of kids with vasculitis, please take

Hey, parents of kids with vasculitis, please take this quick survey (10 min) about vaccines! The doctors and our friends @carra_group are trying to learn more about your views and experiences with vaccines for kids with rheumatic disease and your responses will make a difference!

To take the survey, click the link in the @carra_group bio and select, "Survey."

“It takes a village, truly. During my first vasc

“It takes a village, truly. During my first vasculitis flare, I was in the ICU for 6 weeks on life support and a ventilator. I was never left alone during my time in the hospital. My family took shifts, rotating every single day to make sure someone was with me at all times. They are my rocks, my village, and my support system. I am here today because of them.”
—Khushi

Scott, who’s living with vasculitis, recently ma

Scott, who’s living with vasculitis, recently married his wife Danni. He said, “Without her, I would be lost.” Cheers to the new couple!

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Thank you to our 2024 Vasculitis Awareness Month sponsors: