6th INTERNATIONAL FAMILY CONFERENCE, MEDICAL RESEARCH CLINIC, AND SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM
UNICOI STATE PARK AND LODGE
HELEN, GEORGIA USA
JUNE 24-28, 2010
Georgia on my Mind
Our once-every-three-year international conferences are monumental events for all of the usual reasons. However, the ways in which we differ from other single gene disorders and the levels of complexity that we embrace as “normal” are what really make us different! Every single year cardiologists meet; endocrinologists meet; urologists meet; counselors meet; sociologists meet; developmental specialists meet; ophthalmologists meet; audiologists meet; educators meet; whatever those liver guys are called meet; geneticists meet; pathologists meet; orthopedists meet. And so on….and on….and on….and on. Where do all these specialists collide? ALSTROM SYNDROME!!!!
I guess we can do without an astrophysicist or two, but that’s about it. And I’m just not up on how those nano something-or-other brainiacs might hold the key to a cure. We even manage to throw in an herbologist once in a while, and our group is so diverse I know we should have an astrologist or two on hand just in case we need to know when the stars are aligned. Of course, what’s even more amazing in Alstrom Land is that all of you are experts on all of these experts and so very often know more about the disorder than they do. Right there is reason enough to attend the 2010 Conference in Helen, Georgia USA between June 24-28! Come share! Come learn! Come laugh! Come cry! Come be with your remarkable international family and help to provide the knowledge and the support needed by all to battle the common foe.
What follows is a brief outline of our plans for the conference. The full document with details about meeting spaces, speakers, specific activities, and special events is still under final development and review. But you will see, even in brief, that there is every reason in the world to try and attend. We have taken all of the feedback we have received over the years and done our very best to incorporate all of your observations and requests. There will be unprecedented access to the A-Team; parents will serve on panels; Alstöm patients will share their own stories – of their many successes, their frustrations, and even their failures. Bench scientists and medical professionals will be available 24/7 to share in the search for answers. And, we have lots of time for quiet walks together, calm reflection in tranquil settings, and, of course, bonding in the “Carl Henry,” our very own dedicated pub space.
The activities for children (those affected, their siblings, their buddies) are just fantastic and will be administered and executed for the most part by the incredibly dedicated, clever, trained and competent staff of the Unicoi State Park. The town of Helen itself offers endless opportunities for more fun with a flamboyant water park, tubing on the river, go-carts and haunted houses, just to mention a few of the supplementary activities we have planned.
So, contact me today concerning any questions or with any suggestions to make this, our 6th Family Conference, the very best ever. I look forward to receiving your official registration form, found below.
See you there!
Robin Marshall, Executive Director
TO BOOK YOUR ACCOMODATIONS AT THE UNICOI LODGE, CALL DIRECTLY (DO NOT USE THE UNICOI ONLINE BOOKING). MENTION THE ASI CONFERENCE OR USE CODE #03304 FOR THE CONFERENCE ROOM RATE.
CALL: (706) 878-2201 Ext 265.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION - PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM AND
SUBMIT BY FAX, POST, OR EMAIL
FAMILIES: REGISTER NOW!
PROFESSIONALS: REGISTER NOW!
CONFERENCE T-SHIRT ORDER FORM
EXPECTED COSTS
UNICOI LODGE
LINKS TO HELEN GEORGIA AND UNICOI STATE PARK
The nearest airport is Hartsfield-Atlanta (ATL)
Check it out--
http://gastateparks.org/net/content/images.aspx?s=98.0.1.5
http://www.unicoistatepark.org/
http://gastateparks.org/info/unicoi
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