Raise your Hand

If you read our blog, you know someone with a rare disease.  Sadly, chances are Batten, and Celia, aren't the only names that come to mind.  One in ten people nationwide have a rare disease.  That's likely three of your old second grade classmates, two of your former little league teammates, a few members of your graduating class, a couple of your colleagues, several of your fellow church congregants, someone in your family.  That means these diseases are, as Celia's G'Ro says, "not rare enough."
Today is World Rare Disease Day, sponsored by NORD, the National Organization for Rare Disorders.  If you'll take a moment to follow the link and click on "Raise Your Hand" on the right sidebar of the Rare Disease Day homepage, Lundbeck Inc.* will donate one dollar to NORD's general research fund. 
Rare diseases get little notice.  Some organizations rely on celebrities to put fame behind their cause, but most rare disorders remain unheard of by many Americans.  Drug companies don't have financial incentive to develop medications to treat them.  For those afflicted, a simple diagnosis can take years, and there are often very few experts to turn to, scant treatment options, and no one near who understands what they're going through.  By following the link above, you can help fund research, drive policy and develop educational programs that could make a difference for some of the 30 million Americans (75% of whom are children) affected by one of 7,000 rare diseases.  

Children like Celia can't raise their hands.  Will you raise yours for them?
Thank you.
JEB
Statistics from NORD's website.  Visit to find out more.
Photo by Amy Parrish
*Lundbeck Inc., a pharmaceutical company based in Deerfield, Illinois, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients affected by rare diseases for which few, if any, effective treatments are available. Since November 2008, the company has brought three products to market for the treatment of rare diseases for which there are currently no other U.S. FDA–approved therapies.