Virginia TM Support Group

The Virginia TM Support Group has been busy since its formation in October 2001. I am amazed at how much can be accomplished by two little words... I'm new... on the subject line of an email message! Our group has grown by the proverbial leaps and bounds over the past year and a half. We started with me, Ron, Jesse and our spouses. We now have 52 members, including three teenagers and their families. This has been a challenge for me, personally. As a R.N., dealing with sick kids was no problem. As a mom, it was something that you did and it was okay, too. Kids with TM? I was at a loss on how to handle this and as usual, Sandy came through for me.

With our group growing, we have decided to try to set up outlying chapters in an effort to reach people who otherwise would not be able to make support group meetings. While email is our primary mode of support, Drema had an excellent meeting in SW Virginia in April. John did not have such a good response to his meeting in the Charlottesville area in March. I try to stress that it is important not to look at the numbers of people, but at the impact that we make on the lives of those that do attend. I know how it is to plan for 20 and have four attend, because it has happened to me before. TM is unpredictable! We are going to continue the attempts with the outlying chapters until we get it right. I know it can work. Drema and I will then coordinate a state-wide meeting. I was looking at my calendar for October. What a great celebration for a two-year anniversary party!

We are also working on a couple of fundraising projects. The first is the inkjet recycling project which several groups are working on with the TMA. I contacted the hospital where I worked, "pre-TM," and they agreed to let me put a box in their storeroom where the cartridges are returned for disposal. They do not get reimbursed for returning them, so they were more than happy to let me do whatever I wanted. Naturally, I volunteered my boys to be responsible for overseeing the project.

The second project remains in the planning stages until my newly graduated college girl, Laura, returns from her trip to Florida. She and her brothers and Buck's daughters are going to coordinate their fundraiser which is entitled, Virginia Bowls Over TM. They are going to visit the local bowling alleys, and enlist the owners of the facilities to donate the use of lane time, after giving a brief explanation of TM and what the funds will be used for. The basic idea is to solicit donations based on the number of pins bowled over.

My children are now 22, 18, and almost 16 years old. They know a lot about TM. In his Senior Yearbook, William wrote that his Secret Desire was "To find the cures for the diseases that no one cares to put funding towards, especially TM!" They had to grow up fast and I am very proud of them. They have copies of the TM brochure ready to take with them when they meet with the owner of the bowling alley. I hope to coordinate the date so that all of them will be bowling on the same day and also get media coverage for their efforts. They work hard at their fundraising.
God Bless,
Pamela New