According to Wikipedia, a patient advocacy organization is, “an area of specialization in health care concerned with advocacy for patients, survivors, and carers. The patient advocate may be an individual or an organization, often, though not always, concerned with one specific group of disorders.

I’m an active member of two patient advocacy organizations. One of them had their annual patient conference last week in San Francisco. The conference location changes each year to provide opportunities for families to attend that may not have the resources to fly across the country. It was either the 8th or 9th annual conference and I’ve attended nearly all of them. Each year the conference draws more researchers and pharmaceutical company’s involvement but, thankfully, the heart of the conference remains with the patients.

I really don’t like using the word, patients, because it doesn’t necessary define us. And we’re certainly not sufferers or victims. We have a rare, genetic disease and it nearly always impacts several family members. The annual conference is more like a family gathering.

Over the years I’ve developed friendships with many of my myotonic dystrophy carriers and their families. I can really say I know someone almost in every U.S. state with the disease. It’s fascinating to realize that many of these folks I never would have met had it not been for this disease. Some live in more rural areas of the country. Others live in big cities but lead a very different life from mine. Yet at least once each year we gather together, share knowledge, laugh, eat easy-to-chew food, and maybe clink our glass of wine or beer.

Last weekend I came home from the conference exhausted but today I remembered the wonderful feeling of being surrounded by people who each understood why I walk a certain way, why my energy waxes and wanes, as well as why I carry around small servings of soft food.