What is Amyloidosis Support Network?
Amyloidosis Support Network is a dedicated patient-to-patient support community for families affected by Amyloidosis. Amyloidosis Support Network is powered by BensFriends.org, patient support communities for rare diseases, and is run by volunteer moderators who have been affected with Amyloidosis.
Who can join Amyloidosis Support Network?
If your family has been affected by Amyloidosis, consider Amyloidosis Support Network your second home. Amyloidosis Support Network, as well as the rest of BensFriends.org’s patient communities, is free for members to join.
What is Amyloidosis?
Amyloidosis is a disease that occurs when amyloid proteins build up in your organs. Amyloid is an abnormal protein usually produced by cells in your bone marrow that can be deposited in any tissue or organ. Amyloidosis is rare, and the exact cause is often unknown. Treatments are available to help you manage your amyloidosis symptoms.
This site is a virtual community intended to be a safe place for patients and family members as young as age 12, to visit for information, discussion, venting and mutual support. Members come from many backgrounds. Some have a strong religious faith, and others no faith; some are children and others adults, rich and poor, graduate educated or taught by life. Our common denominators are that we share a life journey, and we try to help each other.
Though we get occasional visits from medical doctors, the site is not routinely supported by medical professionals. Nobody here can diagnose you or tell you what your treatment choices “should” be. We might inform your choices by sharing individual experiences and information developed by study as lay people. Amyloidosis Support Network is not intended to replace the advice or treatment of licensed medical professionals. Readers should validate any information they take away from here, against the experience of a licensed medical doctor. Site owners and moderators are not legally responsible for the accuracy of information shared on the site.
Visitors should also be aware that our discussion forums and groups are publicly accessible and frequently searched by Google. Thus your speech here should be considered “public”. If you’re tempted to write something about another person that you wouldn’t say to their face, then we counsel you to think first. Speech can be consequential.
Amyloidosis Support Network is supported by unpaid volunteer moderators who validate and register new members and monitor ongoing discussions, photo postings and Blogs. Very often, moderators are themselves patients or family members of patients. Most of the time, moderators tend to keep a low profile, except in their roles as members of the community who may be well-informed about the state of medicine and research.