PEOPLE (AND PETS!) WALK FOR VALLEY FEVER AWARENESS 

Dear Friends,  
Please join us on an early morning in August for coffee and a stroll/walk/run in the shade!  You may bring your dog on a leash to enjoy the morning as well!  The paved and shady paths and green lawns plus the historical buildings on display make this the perfect venue for our event. 

We are walking to help people understand that Valley Fever is not a myth or a joke, that recognition of symptoms is key to effective treatment, and that we need support for the development of a vaccine to prevent suffering and loss due to Valley Fever.  The walk will also provide opportunity for people struggling with the disease to meet one another.

 Please click on the link below and register now.   You can use either paypal or a credit card.($10.00/person on line, $15.00 at the door on the day of the event) 

Register Now! 

TWO STORIES WHERE AWARENESS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE

 

"Because of the Valley Fever Organization, I started learning about the disease in 1994. Because of continued knowledge, I was able to save a life when a friend was losing his fight in the hospital and the medical staff had not tested for Valley Fever, which they did after I notified the family of my concerns. He tested positive and was in the hospital for 43 days before being well enough to be discharged. Without my intervention because of the Valley Fever Organization, he would have been lost, as he and his family, including his wife, a nurse, said. Please use this statement when and where to support the cause of saving lives and saving the health of so many future people." Email from Gary Slade, a truck driver who chose to educate himself and others when he moved to California and saw our billboard about Valley Fever. 

 I recognized the symptoms in my dog and saved his life.  When I got sick with Valley Fever, I was so tired I couldn’t eat.  I had a funny cough. I had night sweats so bad I tried wrapping my head in towels to keep things dry as long as possible.  It took two rounds of antibiotics before my doctor thought about Valley Fever. Some months later I saw my dog Lucky wasn’t eating and he had a funny cough like mine had been.  I took him to the vet and told her he had Valley Fever.  He did.  Vet said most dogs don’t survive because they don’t get diagnosed early enough.   Summary of conversation with Frieda Jackson who lives in Bakersfield. 

 

V isit our website, www.valleyfever.com for information about the disease and the effort to develop a vaccine.  The archived newsletters are a treasure trove of stories about the people involved and the progress being made.  Under "important links" you will find a "primer" written by Dr. Hans Einstein which describes the disease in layman's terms for victims and families.