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Dysautonomia Information Network
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Together, we can fight dysautonomia. The Dysautonomia Information Network (DINET)
raises awareness of autonomic nervous system dysfunction and promotes dysautonomia
education, support and networking. We are working hard to make the world a
better place for dysautonomia patients, but we can't do it without your help.
Please donate to DINET and take a stand against
dysautonomia today.
Donate
The Dysautonomia Information Network (DINET) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization run completely by volunteers. No donation is too small and every one is greatly needed and appreciated.
Donate by online check, debit card or credit card through Network for Good:
DINET is a 501(c)(3) organization. Donations are tax deductible according to IRS regulations.Or donate by check:
Make checks payable to DINET and mail to:
DINET
P.O. Box 55
Brooklyn, MI 49230If you shop on the web, there is another way to donate. By registering with iGive, a specified percentage of your purchase will be donated to DINET. This service is free to you and adds no additional cost to your online purchase. There are well over 400 well-established online vendors who are affiliated with iGive. They include Apple Computer, Avon, Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Dell Computer, Discovery Store, eToys, Expedia, Gap, HSN, L.L. Bean, Lands End, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, QVC, etc. To see the full listing, click here: http://www.igive.com/html/malltour.cfm
In order for your purchase to get credited to DINET, you must have started your purchase process via the iGive website. Even if you shop online only once, your donation will be added to those of every other DINET supporter. If you're going to shop online anyway, it's the easiest donation you'll ever make! If you have questions about the iGive service, please see the "Frequently Asked Questions" link on their site: http://www.igive.com/html/sitemap.cfm Once the link opens, go to the section marked "Tools for You" and then open the link labeled "FAQ".
To join iGive, use the following link, as it will automatically set up DINET as your recipient: http://www.iGive.com/html/refer.cfm?memberid
=279907&causeid=25053
We appreciate your support!
DINET has several volunteer positions available. Please email staff@dinet.org if you are interested in one of the following positions:
Find press releases
If you like to research and know how to use the Internet this may be the position for you! Help us find recent, dysautonomia-related press releases to include in our quarterly newsletter.Grant Searcher
We could use help finding grants for which we may qualify. If you can help with this, please let us know.Help build our "Assistance" page
Can you assist us in finding web resources that will help others for our "Assistance" page? If so, let us know!
Help build our Physician Finder!
If you know of physicians that have a special interest in any type of dysautonomia, please submit their contact information to us at: http://www.dinet.org/physician_finder.htm
Or write to:
Dysautonomia Information Network
P.O. Box 55
Brooklyn, MI 49230
United States
Share your experiences in The Patient’s Voice!
The Patient’s Voice is a newsletter column where patients can express themselves and write about experiences relating to dysautonomia - both positive and negative. It is a place to share medical experiences, suggestions, short stories and poetry, etc. Send contributions to: staff@dinet.org
If you'd like to volunteer your assistance in any other way, please let us know.
Meet just a few
of our
current volunteers:
Jennifer Clark - Link Checker
Stacey Yount - Link Checker
Stacey Yount lives in Titusville, FL and is married to a wonderful guy, Jim, who has been her amazing support and given her so much love! Before getting POTS in 1995 she was a professional ballet dancer, ballet teacher and working towards a degree in Chemistry at University Of Central Florida. She was also tutoring Math and Science at Brevard Community College. She now spends her time with Jim, as well as crocheting, playing with her cat Soniya, watching Bollywood movies (Films from India), and she has recently started learning to read, write and speak Hindi.
Amy Van Der Kamp - Fundraiser
Amy is the proud mother of one son, Blake. She has been
happily married to her loving husband, Mark, for 7 years. They live in a small
town outside of Des Moines, Iowa. Currently, due to Amy's health, she is taking
some time off and staying home. Before that, Amy was a Community/Marketing
Manager.
Amy was diagnosed with POTS, NCS, and low blood volume in 2005, and she was
given a dual chamber pacemaker in 2004.
Mehgan Sichel - Research Coordinator
Mehgan is 24 years old, newly married, and working on a masters in nursing. She also works part-time as a nanny. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area with her husband and two cats. Mehgan has symptoms of POTS and NCS, which have recently lessened.
Melissa Mambort - Forum Moderator
Melissa graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2002 and just returned to her native Ohio to begin the MSW program at Case Western Reserve University this fall with hopes of eventually working in patient advocacy. She lives with her furry feline friend Czar (but hasn’t yet succeeded in teaching him to clean) and has great support from Mom & Dad as well as entertaining stories from her brother who attends Syracuse University.
Melissa has many interests that she tries to keep up with (or hopes to return to when her health permits) including swimming, rowing, running, coaching, riding, cello, piano, singing, musical theater, cooking, writing & reading. Her faith in God is also very important to her.
Melissa was diagnosed with NCS in 1997, OI/POTS in 2002, and Autonomic Neuropathy in 2005, possibly of viral and/or autoimmune origin. She participated as a research patient at Vanderbilt this past spring.
Katherine Munson - Creator of "Faces of DINET" online photo album
Katherine holds a M.S. from the University of Maryland in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development. She works part-time as a natural resources planner for local government on Maryland's eastern shores. Katherine developed pregnancy/postpartum induced POTS with the birth of her first child in October 2002.
"Faces of DINET" is an online photo album featuring pictures of some of DINET's members.
Jane Bennett - Meet Others Program Leader
Jane is a mother of three. Her oldest child has been diagnosed with POTS for nearly a year. She lives with her husband of 22 years and family in the Chicago-land area. She is Eastern Orthodox and, with her husband, has supported numerous committees and youth groups over the years within their church community. In addition, Jane also has served as her children’s elementary school treasurer for the past 10 years.
Jane has a BS in
Business/Data Process from Northeastern University – Illinois and a MBA in
Information Systems from Dominican University – Illinois. She is currently an
executive for a major nation wide telecommunications company, where she has been
employed for 22 years.
Judith Pettibone - Newsletter Editor
Judith is a parent of two daughters, one of whom has just been recently diagnosed with POTS after a six year long search. She is an Occupational Therapist by training and a professional writer. She is working on a book about The Colorado Boys Ranch and is a regular columnist in her small town paper. Her particular interest lies in the challenges of caretaking as well as in the many issues raised with the medical field and how it treats the chronically ill. Judith lives in Monument, Colorado with her husband, senior in high school daughter and her college-aged daughter on those week-ends when she comes home to eat and do laundry.
Melanie Oliverio - Proofreader and Advisor
Melanie is DINET's Treasurer, and she also serves as an advisor. Melanie volunteers to proofread the Dysautonomia News. She holds a degree in Business. She is a former bookkeeper who now devotes time to raising her daughter. Melanie enjoys modeling and modeled for the Ferrari/Maserati exhibit at the 2002 Detroit International Auto Show. She traveled with the Auto Show in the 2006/2007 show season.
Nina Wilde - Support Leader/Forum Moderator
Nina C. Wilde attends Temple University, in Philadelphia, where she is a
Ph.D. student in the departments of Educational Psychology and Special
Education. She has specialized in autism and Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
since 1986. Nina currently works full time as a
Behavior Analyst, serving children 3 to 21 in the public schools.
She enjoys playing with the children she works with every day that she is
able. When home, she enjoys fixing things like leaky faucets, and tinkering
with light home repairs. Nina also loves gardening when her health and the
weather permit.
Nina was diagnosed with POTS and NCS at 32 years old. However, she and her doctors believe that she has had these disorders since birth. Nina participated in clinical research on POTS at the National Institutes for Health in 2001.
Marie Kelly-Worden, Ph.D. - Medical Research Advisor
Marie is an Assistant Professor at Ball State University. She holds a Ph.D. in Physiology and is a graduate of Wayne State University School of Medicine. She did her postdoctoral work at Northwestern University and served as a research fellow at the Cleveland Clinic. Her main interests are neurological disorders and diseases. Marie's present areas of research can be divided into 2 categories; first, mechanisms for neuronal and non-neuronal secretion and second, the interaction of autoimmune antibodies with synaptic proteins.
Valerie Fenston - Physician Survey Coordinator/Meet Others Program Updater
Valerie Fenston lives in Cortlandt Manor, New York with her husband and three sons. She has had POTS for 7 years. Before developing POTS she was attending college studying to be an occupational therapist. She also operated a family daycare out of her home. She enjoys volunteering in the reading program at her son's school and spending time with her children.
Pam Reichers - Newsletter Designer
Pam has a BS degree in Psychology and a certification in Information Technology. She is lucky enough to be able to work full-time, and has been doing so as a web designer for the last few years.
Pam became the designer of the Dysautonomia News in January,
2004. Pam also designed DINET's logo.
Pam was diagnosed with POTS over 5 years ago, and more recently with EDS. She
currently resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and Boston Terrier.
Michelle Sawicki - President
Michelle Sawicki lives in Brooklyn, Michigan with her husband and teenage son. She graduated from the University of Michigan-Dearborn with a degree in psychology, and now works part-time as a reference assistant in a public library. She developed POTS in 1999. Frustrated by the lack of available resources on this disorder, she created www.potsplace.com in April 2002. She then founded the Dysautonomia Information Network (DINET) in 2003. At that time, the POTS Place website contents were merged with the expanded information available through the Dysautonomia Information Network.
When she isn't researching for DINET or the library, Michelle can be found boating, gardening, and spending time with her family. Michelle also enjoys her three dogs, and she breeds and sells American Singer and Mosaic canaries.
