A Look Back at Awareness Day 2007

From Kitsap County to Washington D.C., over 80 screenings of the documentary film “Living with Fibromyalgia” debuted in theaters, community centers and other venues across the country in honor of National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day, May 12, 2007.

According to the National Fibromyalgia Association, the 2007 Awareness Day campaign, “Focus on Fibromyalgia” which centered on the film, garnered the most media coverage since the NFA began spearheading Awareness Day activities in 1998.

Feature stories ran in publications including The Washington Post and Southern California’s Orange County Register. Members of some support groups were interviewed for their local television news programs.

“The screenings involved a lot of time and energy, but we are so grateful and proud of our support group leaders and advocates who participated in this year’s Awareness Day campaign despite their own health issues,” said Lynne Matallana, president of the National Fibromyalgia Association. “Most of our leaders had never worked with the media before, but when your hearts are in the right place, as our Leaders proved, raising awareness becomes a labor of love!”

Daneen Akers and Stephen Eyer of Trillusion Media, which produced “Living with Fibromyalgia,” attended the Seattle debut of the film hosted by The Warren Report. “It was nerve-wracking at first to know that there were so many screenings of the film happening all at once,” said Akers, whose mother has fibromyalgia and was the impetus for the making of the documentary. “But it was also extremely satisfying to know that a lot of good conversations were started because of the film, and the outpouring of response from so many people has made it all worthwhile!”

Awareness Day events are not found to be “successful” or “unsuccessful” based on attendance numbers or media coverage. If an Awareness Day event informs just one ignorant person about fibromyalgia, or offers support to just one patient who had been struggling on his or her own, that event is a success.

The National Fibromyalgia Association also takes great pride in support groups that make the NFA Awareness Day campaign their own. Last year, one support group leader dove into the Proclamation Program; she didn’t stop with her mayor, but solicited—and received!—a dozen proclamations from various governmental representatives. Some groups went beyond hosting a movie premiere, and held events at community centers, featuring doctors who could speak to audiences about the reality of life with fibromyalgia.

This year, we hope all Awareness Day participants will take ownership of their events. In some communities, a health faire may be the perfect fit. In others, awareness walks may be so popular that hosting an FM Walk is clearly the best way to observe Awareness Day. Check our website (www.FMaware.org), and be sure to read the other stories in this newsletter, for suggestions and tips to make Awareness Day 2008 the best one yet—however you choose to commemorate it.

View other articles in the Winter 2008 edition:

Spotlight on Leadership

SG Leader Shares Her Group's Awareness Day Success

Strategies for Support Group Leaders

Tips for Planning and Organizing Your Event

Advocacy Tips for Leaders

Reflections: Awareness Day 2007

Leaders in Action

Planning a Conference - One Leader's Experience

What's Happening?

Upcoming Events & Announcements