Inflammation is a factor in Birdshot Uveitis, and there are many ways of managing it. Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America (BUSNA) is offering a few ideas for holiday gifts that can help birdies, and others with autoimmune diseases, manage their inflammation. You may want to pass this list along to their loved ones. Otherwise, treat yourself! 1. Some people with Birdshot have issues with dry eyes, especially in the mornings. Consider gifting a luxurious sleep mask, on

Josette: Meredith, thanks for joining me here today. I’ve been so looking forward to introducing you to our Birdshot friends. Can you tell us about your journey to diagnosis? Meredith Brinegar Cross: On a morning in the early part of spring 2012, we started a huge construction project on our house. I walked out to say hi to the lead foreman on my way to work, but gave up because he was filling our air with black junk with his sawing. It was also inside. Turned out it was a to

Uveitis is a rare eye disease, and birdshot uveitis is even more rare. It is generally understood that fewer than one in 200,000 Americans ever receive a diagnosis of birdshot. Beyond that, which populations are more likely to come down with this potentially blinding eye disease? And which ones are less prone? Perhaps the less prone are more vulnerable than we realize. Scientists have studied many patients in an effort to learn the who and why of birdshot. There is no doubt

Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America is celebrating its first birthday this week. As part of that celebration, we are thrilled to present this interview with Dr. J.J.W. (Jonas) Kuiper, Associate Professor in Immunology of the Eye, Department of Ophthalmology, UMC Utrecht, the Netherlands. The birdshot uveitis research of Dr. Kuiper and his colleagues is making major inroads to understanding this rare disease. Josette: Jonas, thank you for joining me on the BUSNA Blog! We

This week, birdies from northern Ontario to Florida met online for BUSNA’s first gathering. According to the feedback, the opportunity to chat was much appreciated! BUSNA’s President, Christine Griffith, started the Zoom with a brief history of BUSNA and a few words about her own Birdshot story. Board members were introduced, and a few of them spoke briefly. What followed was a candid conversation that centered around two specific topics, diagnosis and treatment. After a doze

The Birdshot Uveitis Society of North American, or BUSNA , is planning to host a series of virtual get-togethers for Birdies! Called The Gathering, these online events will allow small groups of us who have Birdshot Uveitis to meet for an hour or so and chat about how we manage our autoimmune disease. Think “coffee klatches”, “cuppa tea” or even “happy hour”! “What kind of topics?” you might ask. We looked for inspiration from a few groups of Birdies who, at least pre-COVID,

They say we birdies have a rare disease, but how does a disease qualify as rare? And how does that affect our chances for treating our disease and finding a cure? In the U.S. the prevalence of a disease must be less than 1 in 1,500 persons in order to qualify as a rare disease. Each country sets its own qualifications. Rare diseases are sometimes referred to as orphan diseases. Due to the small number of patients, these diseases have

Today I was thrilled to interview #Birdshot friend and #BUSNA board member Leanne Oswald, who just this morning was #vaccinated against #Covid-19! Leanne, we're all sitting on the edge of our seats and hoping these vaccines are the answer to our prayers. Congratulations! You're one of the first people we know who has received this vaccine. How does it feel being a pioneer? Thank you Josette. I feel very thankful to have received the vaccine so early! It is the best Christmas

I recently had the opportunity to chat with Dr. Larissa Derzko-Dzulynsky, MD, FRCSC, a leading Uveitis Specialist in Canada. In her dual roles as Clinical Physician and Associate Professor in the University of Toronto Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences (DOVS) she has earned the respect of physicians and patients across the country. #BUSNA #BirdshotUveitis #UniversityofToronto #CanadianUveitisSociety #BirdshotUveitisSocietyofNorthAmerica #UniversityofToronto #

#givingtuesday2020 #Birdshotuveitis On December 1st BUSNA will join the millions of people and organizations taking part in the day of giving known as Giving Tuesday! This global movement hopes to make an impact on all communities in need, and hopefully also boost BUSNA’s efforts to support Birdshot Uveitis research and patient education. Birdshot Uveitis is a rare non-infectious autoimmune disease that affects the eyes. Left untreated, it can lead to blindness. Fewer than 1

As part of its mission to raise awareness and funds for Birdshot research, BUSNA has launched its first fundraiser, “Our Logo”. A selection of t-shirts displaying the BUSNA logo are available for purchase from The Bonfire Company during November. All proceeds from the sale will go to The Birdshot Research Fund. The BUSNA logo was designed by the talented David Bethell of BUS UK, and represents both the Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America and its countries - Canada, Mexi

A review of the book The Plant Paradox, about how food choices can affect our health. by Josette Abruzzini BUSNA bird's eye views, post #4 The Plant Paradox: The Hidden Dangers in “healthy” foods that cause disease and weight gain Steven R. Gundry, MD with Olivia Bell Buehl Harper Collins 2017 Dr. Steven R. Gundy’s THE PLANT PARADOX presents the latest findings on how various foods can affect our bodies. This book has relevance for many who are managing autoimmune diseases su

Birdshot Uveitis Society Blogpost #4. Josette Abruzzini: Hi Annie. Thanks for joining us on this fall day! Here in Pennsylvania the weather is cool and I’m drinking hot tea. What is your favorite beverage this time of year? Annie Folkard: Right now I'm enjoying one of my favourite things to drink - lemon and ginger tea. I use a shop-bought tea bag and add a slice of lemon and sliced ginger to intensify the flavour. Josette: Sounds great! I love that you refer to a shop-bough

My name is Andrea and I am currently 50 years old. I have a husband of almost 17 years and 2 teen children. My life took a huge turn at the age of 47 years, but let me first tell you a little about myself. I grew up in Long Island, NY. My father died of pancreatic cancer at the young age of 50. I was 18 at the time and was attending my first year of college. He was a very quiet man who loved photography and trains so much that we had a train room in our house when I was

Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America Blogpost #2 by Josette Abruzzini Whether we enjoy excellent eye health or we're dealing with some type of eye condition, there are precautions we can take and habits we can adopt that help us maintain our best possible vision. Control screen glare. When using a computer or cell phone screen, “the blink rate goes from 15 times a minute to five or seven times per minute," explains Dr. Matthew Gardiner, an ophthalmologist with Harvard-a

Welcome to our BUSNA blog, bird's eye views! We plan to provide occasional posts that we hope will enrich your understanding of Birdshot Uveitis. The more birdies that Christine Tattersall Griffith met during the ten years since her diagnosis, the more resolved she became to create a Birdshot community here in North America. Now that the Birdshot Uveitis Society of North America is a reality, we welcome Christine for our very first bird's eye views interview, where she share