My name is Liz Gardner, and I am 30 years old. A year ago, I was working as a social worker at a job I loved, living with friends, and driving. I was previously diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) in 2016 due to beads of aneurysms in my legs, but otherwise my life was normal. That all changed when…
The Marfan Foundation this week announced that it is awarding $675,000 to seven physicians/scientists as part of its 2020 Research Grant program. This brings the total amount currently being funded — including the second year of two-year grants awarded last year and other research projects — to $1.4 million. The new grants are one fellowship award, one early investigator…
My name is Dan Sperry. I live in northern New Jersey. I have a beautiful wife named Melissa and an awesome son named DJ. In September of 2019, I brought myself to the hospital with intense pain in the middle of my abdomen, which I assumed was food poisoning. It turned out that I had a saccular Abdominal Aortic…
My brother, Zach, was only 39 years old when he suddenly passed away from a severe, instant aortic dissection. It was fast and nothing could have been done to save him. I do take comfort in that. After his passing, the questions arose; “Why did a seemingly healthy, young guy pass away from something that typically happens to people…
On October 7, as part of VEDS Action Month, several of The VEDS Movement’s Steering Committee members met with the FDA for a Patient Listening Session. Patient listening sessions are small, informal, non-regulatory discussions with the FDA about experiences with diseases and disorders. The VEDS Movement reached out to the FDA to request this listening session on behalf of…
Help NIH Researchers understand the health impacts of COVID-19 on people with Marfan, VEDS, and Loeys-Dietz Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are interested in how COVID-19 impacts the health of people with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS), Marfan Syndrome, and Loeys-Dietz. You can help by completing an online survey about your experiences. The survey is open to…
Tony Yasick, an anesthesiologist, chair of the Defy Foundation, and Marfan Foundation Board Member, shared his story with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS), titled, “I ran from my lethal diagnosis for years. Let’s make this rare disease a household word,” in USA Today. The VEDS Movement and The Marfan Foundation are incredibly grateful to Finn Partners for working with Tony…
In 2013, I was serving my sixth year in the United States Coast Guard. One day in June we needed to move some 2000lb pipes via a crane. I was on one end of this pipe holding a line and needed to pull on the pipe to keep it from swinging and killing the crane operator. It turned out…
Dominick Corso was diagnosed earlier this year with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS), and quickly became involved in the community through virtual support groups and by engaging with the online community on Facebook. Just a few weeks ago, Dominick experienced an emergency. While getting ready for a day on a boat with his family, he started feeling pain and discomfort…
When I was diagnosed with Vascular Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (VEDS) 10 years ago, following a traumatic vascular event, my family was handed a piece of paper printed off of google and told, “good luck.”I remember thinking, “half a page on the internet is the best they could do?” It is almost impossible to believe now, in the age of the…
