VAM Calendar
VAM 2025 Calendar: Day-by-Day Activities
This Vasculitis Awareness Month (VAM), we’ve made it easy for you to get involved, stay connected, make a difference, learn, and feel empowered! This interactive, day-by-day activities calendar offers simple yet meaningful ways to stay involved throughout May. Together, we can raise awareness of vasculitis and help pave a path toward a better life, better treatments, and a cure.
THURSDAY | MAY 01
Welcome to VAM!
Welcome to Vasculitis Awareness Month (VAM)! For 31 days, we’re honoring our amazing community of people living with the disease and their care partners, dedicated healthcare professionals, and brilliant scientists. We’re equipping you with the tools to get involved, spread awareness and stay connected! Celebrate #VAM2025 all month long. And join us in sending a special shoutout to our #VAM2025 presenting sponsor, Amgen!
FRIDAY | MAY 02
Community Heroes
Getting a vasculitis diagnosis can send you and your family into the unknown. But that’s when people living with vasculitis tap into their superpowers of strength, hope, and resilience – and they get connected to the vasculitis community. Their stories inspire hope and help others feel connected.
SATURDAY | MAY 03
Power Research: Join the VPPRN
You can make a difference by joining the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network (VPPRN). The VPPRN is an international research network of people living with vasculitis, scientists, clinicians, advocates, and family members. They’re dedicated to improving healthcare and quality of life for people with vasculitis through high-level clinical research. It’s free to join and easy to participate. Your contribution is invaluable.
SUNDAY | MAY 04
Sign Up: Vasculitis Voices & News
Stay in the loop—or invite family and friends to learn about vasculitis—by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter. The newsletter is packed with information you need to know about vasculitis, including community stories, upcoming events, resources, and more.
MONDAY | MAY 05
What Gets You Moving?
A lot of people in our community had to make adjustments to their activities since their diagnosis. We want to inspire everyone in the trenches with this disease (this includes care partners!). Share your best tips for moving in our new Facebook Group: VF Movement. Whether it’s a dance party, a stroll through the park, a walk to the mailbox or stretching, let us know what you’re doing to keep going.
TUESDAY | MAY 06
Who Do You Honor During VAM?
Brittany McVicker is that actress in movies your mom loves to watch – Secrets of a Celebrity Nanny and the Secret Life of a Sorority Girl are among her credits. It’s something she desperately wants to share with her own mom who took her to her first acting classes. Today she shares her #VAM2025 video honoring her mother who died of vasculitis after going undiagnosed until it was too late. Brittany was just 14 when her mom died. She is helping to spread awareness so no one else has to lose a mom to an undiagnosed rare disease. Follow Brittany on Instagram at @itsbrittmcvick.
WEDNESDAY | MAY 07
Share Your Story
Today, we’re inviting anyone living or loving someone with vasculitis to share your story on social media to create a united, global impact. Vasculitis is a rare disease. So rare that it often gets misdiagnosed for months or even years. So rare that people impacted by it often feel isolated and alone on their journey. We need to bring light to this rare disease. Use this simple, easy-to-follow guide to write your story in just a few minutes. Then tag us on social media when you post your story. Use the hashtags #VAM2025 & #VasculitisLooksLikeMe
THURSDAY | MAY 08
Take a Free 90-Minute Course in Advocacy
Policymakers and their staff need to hear from the frontline voices of people impacted by rare disease. As a member of the VF community, you can take a course through NORD to become one of those strong voices. NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) has created an Advocacy Academy to help patients and care partners amplify their voices. In under 90 minutes, the Academy’s 12 online training videos will give you the confidence and tools you need to share your story effectively. Each course is accompanied by an online quiz to reinforce key points. Once completed, you will receive a certificate recognizing the commitment you made to be an effective advocate. When you register, make sure you say you are a member of the Vasculitis Foundation.
FRIDAY | MAY 09
What's Your Victory Over Vasculitis?
Inspire our community: share your victory over vasculitis! This is a personal goal or achievement you define for yourself that takes into account where you are in your vasculitis journey. Examples include, “My victory over vasculitis is having energy to spend time with my grandkids.” Or “My victory over vasculitis is running a 5K.” When you submit your Victory Over Vasculitis, we might feature it on social media!
SATURDAY | MAY 10
Get this Game-Changing Shirt
Ever wish you could easily educate people about vasculitis? Buy our vasculitis awareness-raising shirt! A donation is made to the VF for every shirt sold. While you’re eating at a restaurant, in the grocery store, or traveling at the airport, you can help people learn more about the disease simply by wearing it. Fashion has never been this powerful.
SUNDAY | MAY 11
Happy Mother's Day
Imagine being told you might never be able to have children. For 29-year-old Avery Owens, living with vasculitis, this was a devastating possibility. But her journey to motherhood is an inspiring testament to the power of perseverance and the importance of seeking expert medical care. Her story offers hope and valuable lessons for others facing similar challenges
MONDAY | MAY 12
Virtual Vasculitis Support Group Meetings
You do not have to navigate your vasculitis journey alone. Connect with other people living with the disease and other care partners. Find strength in talking with other people who “get it.”
TUESDAY | MAY 13
DOUBLE Your Impact Today!
Double your impact today! When Joshua Roberts found the Vasculitis Foundation website after six years of searching for answers, he discovered more than information – he found hope. Through VF’s connections, he went from hospice care to riding his bike 10 miles, from 15 medications to just 2, and following his dreams to pursue seminary school. You can help create more success stories like Joshua’s. Thanks to a handful of generous donors, every gift today will be DOUBLED up to $30,000. Your $5 becomes $10, connecting more patients to expert care, support groups, and vital resources that transform lives.
WEDNESDAY | MAY 14
Find Out the Latest About ANCA Vasculitis
Living with GPA or MPA can feel isolating—but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Created by Amgen, the ANCA Resource Hub is a free, easy-to-use program designed to support you at different points in your journey. Whether you’re newly diagnosed or managing disease, the hub offers information, helpful resources like a symptom checklist, and tools to support conversations with your doctor. It’s built to help you feel more informed and more in control of your care.
THURSDAY | MAY 15
International Vasculitis Day!
Vasculitis affects people around the world. International Vasculitis Day serves as a platform for individuals to connect with others affected by vasculitis and share support and resources. In recognition of the many people around the world affected by vasculitis, the VPPRN’s VPREG registry has translated its surveys into five languages. The VF has educational resources in Spanish, Portuguese and English.
FRIDAY | MAY 16
Aprendiendo de Vasculitis
La Fundación de Vasculitis (Vasculitis Foundation) se complace en presentar esta nueva serie de videos educativos para ampliar su conocimiento sobre vasculitis. Expertos médicos en vasculitis de distintos países conversaran sobre diferentes temas incluyendo el diagnóstico, medicamentos y tratamiento para de las vasculitis. Estos videos están dirigidos para pacientes y familiares, con la intención de informar e incrementar el conocimiento y conciencia de estas enfermedades.
SATURDAY | MAY 17
Join Us At A VF Regional Conference
Our 2025 Regional Conferences are one-day, in-person events packed full of engaging and informative presentations from local medical experts and people living with vasculitis. With two more stops this year, in Denver and New York, you won’t want to miss one if you’re nearby. Whether you are newly diagnosed with vasculitis or have been navigating a vasculitis diagnosis for years, these events are for you. You will learn, engage, and be empowered.
SUNDAY | MAY 18
Celebrate World Eosinophilic Diseases Day
Join us as we celebrate World Eosinophilic Diseases Day and raise awareness of these conditions around the globe. For those affected by EGPA (Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis), we’re proud to offer our comprehensive EGPA Patient Resource Guide, designed to support patients throughout their journey, through collaboration with American Partnership for Eosinophilic Disorders (APFED) and AstraZeneca.
MONDAY | MAY 19
Start Journaling
Journaling can help you process your vasculitis journey, find hope in the everyday and help you learn to advocate for yourself. Cathy Beesey of Australia began a journal when she received her diagnosis, she is now hoping to publish it as a memoir of living with a rare autoimmune disease.
TUESDAY | MAY 20
Behçet’s Awareness Day & World Autoimmune Arthritis Day!
Learn about Behcet’s and help raise awareness of this form of vasculitis today. Download the following “10 Facts about Behcet’s” graphics and share them on your social media pages. Kimberly “Kim” Fisher is a healthcare provider by profession/training. Having experienced a long and frustrating diagnosis journey, she is now an active advocate among providers, patients and laypeople.
WEDNESDAY | MAY 21
What to Eat, What to Avoid
Lucy De Matos, a Registered Holistic Nutritionist who has been living and thriving with vasculitis for 28 years, shares what foods to eat and which foods to avoid to help you live your healthiest life with vasculitis. Lucy has personal experience with this: she discusses how changing her diet and lifestyle, in combination with medication, has helped her on her own vasculitis journey.
THURSDAY | MAY 22
Give the Gift of a Better Life
The VF is committed to early diagnosis, better treatments, and awareness. Your donation to the VF reinforces that commitment. With your help, the VF will fund $100,000 in new research this year alone! Donate today, knowing that every dollar improves the lives of people living with vasculitis.
FRIDAY | MAY 23
Join our Patient-Powered Research Network
You can make a difference by joining the Vasculitis Patient-Powered Research Network (VPPRN). The VPPRN is an international research network of people living with vasculitis, scientists, clinicians, advocates, and family members. They’re dedicated to improving healthcare and quality of life for people with vasculitis through high-level clinical research. It’s free to join and easy to participate. Your contribution is invaluable.
SATURDAY | MAY 24
Did you know...?
Vasculitis is a rare autoimmune disease, but experts suggest autoimmune diseases will be on the rise in the next decade. Download these “Did you know…” graphics and post them on your social media pages to separate fact from fiction and spread the word about what vasculitis is.
SUNDAY | MAY 25
The Impact of our Community
Our community is the foundation of the VF’s life-changing work. Their steady support helps us connect patients with expert care, vital education, and compassionate support groups – ensuring no one faces vasculitis alone. From providing one-on-one guidance to 624 individuals, to reaching 160,000+ people through educational webinars, our annual and monthly donors make these connections possible. Learn more about the impact of our community here!
MONDAY | MAY 26
Share the ACR/VF Fact Sheets with Your Doctor
Share these new patient-friendly facts sheets and treatment recommendations with your doctor! These fact sheets are based on the ACR/VF (American College of Rheumatology/Vasculitis Foundation) Guidelines, which were developed by a group of doctors and patients based on research studies. The goal? To help people living with the disease get the best care possible. One way you can help is by sharing the fact sheets with your primary care doctor. Anyone can do it!
TUESDAY | MAY 27
Share an Encouraging Video
When you’re in the thick of vasculitis, it can be hard to have hope or to see your way through. You can make a difference by sharing a 60-second video on your phone with a message of support and encouragement. Share how you get through your hardest days or how you’ve embraced new hobbies and adventures despite vasculitis. We’ll share our favorite videos with our community on social media.
WEDNESDAY | MAY 28
Thanks for Making VAM Possible
The VF wants to take a moment to announce the sponsors of Vasculitis Awareness Month. Thank you to our sponsors, Amgen and AstraZeneca, for making VAM possible—and helping all of us raise awareness.
THURSDAY | MAY 29
Create Your New Normal
Vasculitis can turn your world upside down. How do you create and embrace a “new normal” after diagnosis?
Find inspiration in the stories of those living with vasculitis.
FRIDAY | MAY 30
Celebrate a Loved One
Who in your life makes your vasculitis journey a little lighter by caring for you, navigating insurance and doctors appointments alongside you, making you laugh when you’re down, or cooking dinner when you’re tired? Whether it’s your partner, spouse, parent, adult child, or friend, we want to give them a shoutout! Tell us the best ways your loved one makes a difference in your life and we may share your response in a post recognizing the power and amazing support of the family and friends in our lives!
SATURDAY | MAY 31
Last Call: Give a Gift That Will Change Lives!
There is still time to support the incredible work of the VF by making a donation today. When you give, you empower patients with resources, knowledge, and connection. And you support the vital research of investigators seeking better treatments and a cure.
Thank you to our 2025 Vasculitis Awareness Month sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor:
Bronze Sponsor:
