BUSNA Hosts 1st “Thriving with Birdshot” Webinar
People with birdshot uveitis tuned in on September 20 to watch a webinar sponsored by Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America. The online event was the first of a series of webinars that BUSNA is hosting.
The webinars are part of a larger BUSNA project that is being sponsored by ANI Pharmaceuticals and Genentech (a member of the Roche Group). The project’s goal is to empower those with birdshot uveitis through various educational presentations.
In addition to the webinar series Thriving with Birdshot, the project encompasses the fitness challenge WALKTOBER and virtual birdshot meet-ups The Gathering.
September’s webinar, Thriving with Birdshot: Tools for Mind, Body & Spirit, was presented online by Dr. Heather Evans, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Lynae Martinez, a somatic practitioner. It provided attendees with practical tools for managing the inevitable stress of a rare autoimmune illness such as birdshot.
The program started with Dr. Evans outlining several ways we may be affected. Using a series of slides, she showed how stress can exacerbate chronic illness. She also shared strategies for minimizing those stressors.
Lynae led us through several breathing exercises, which participants found calming. She also spoke about other helpful practices such as tapping. Heather and Lynae then answered questions from our audience. The response was very positive.
The webinar took place at 1:00 pm Eastern Time on a Saturday, which allowed birdies from several time zones to attend. In addition to those attending from the USA and Canada – including Hawaii and Alaska – there were people from South Africa, New Zealand and the UK. Around 50 people attend live, and dozens of others have expressed an interest in watching a recording of the webinar. The video will be featured on busna.org in the next few weeks.
BUSNA is grateful for the interest shown in our first webinar. Thank you to our presenters for giving us guidance in managing birdshot. We are also grateful to the sponsors of this multi-faceted project.
If any members of the birdshot community haven’t yet subscribed to our monthly newsletter, please click here. The next webinar will take place Sunday November 9th.