June is MG Awareness Month

That’s just around the corner, so now is the time to prepare.

So, what is Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month? The entire month of June is dedicated to getting the word out about Myasthenia Gravis. It’s such a rare disease that it doesn’t get quite the attention (or the funding) as some of the other diseases, but there are more than 70,000 of us living in the United States who have been diagnosed with MG.

Myasthenia Gravis is a neuromuscular, autoimmune disorder that causes extreme fatigue and profound muscle weakness. It can impact a person’s ability to see, swallow, smile, walk, breathe, or engage in normal everyday activity. Women under the age of 40 and men over the age of 60 are more likely to be diagnosed with MG, but it can occur regardless of age, or even race or gender. Even children can be diagnosed with MG.

There are several reasons why we want to get the word out about MG and why you should consider participating in Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month. They include:

• Early Diagnosis and Treatment – Raising awareness helps both the public and healthcare providers recognize the signs earlier, which can lead to quicker diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.
• Improved Quality of Life – Awareness encourages people with symptoms to seek help and adhere to treatment plans, improving their day-to-day functionality and well-being.
• Support and Advocacy – Increased awareness brings attention to the emotional, physical and financial struggles of people living with MG and can help lead to better support networks, more patient advocacy, and a better understanding from employers, schools, and communities.
• Research and Funding – Since MG is considered a rare disease, there is often a struggle to gain sufficient research funding. Awareness campaigns can boost public interest, which often leads to increased funding for medical research and potential new treatments, or even a cure!
• Reduction of Stigma – Some people may not understand a snowflake disease (where symptoms appear to be there one moment and gone the next), which often leads to misconceptions like thinking someone is lazy or exaggerating. Education helps reduce that stigma and creates awareness that symptoms are indeed real.

Last year my family and friends went all out during Myasthenia Gravis Awareness Month. You can see many of their photos on my website. They displayed their MG Awareness bracelets, wore their MG t-shirts, and some even displayed signs on their lawns and lit the exterior of their homes with teal-colored lights (teal is the official color of MG).

I’m not quite sure what we’ll do this year, but I can bet you it will be something. I have the best family and friends in the world. I’ll keep you posted on our plans as they develop.

So, now I have a question for you. I’ve been toying with the idea of making some MG awareness materials available via my website. These would be items such as t-shirts with catchy awareness sayings, bracelets, perhaps a coffee cup, and maybe more. These items would bear the mglifebygreg logo. You can purchase all kinds of MG items from various places on the internet, including Amazon, but none of those would have the mglifebygreg logo.

Obviously, I don’t want to go down this road if there’s little interest or no demand for mglifebygreg logo’d products, so let me know if you might be interested by commenting below. If there’s enough interest, I’ll work with a print-on-demand company so you can purchase mglifebygreg logo’d merchandise in time for MG Awareness Month.

Let me know. I’d love to hear your comments.

Start planning for MG Awareness Month now. It’ll be here before we know it.