Why is it so important to Advocate for Awareness?

     All you really have to do is look at the numbers and see what Awareness Campaigns have done for other conditions...

        - 1 in every 550 Americans have Crohns Disease

        -1 in every 500 Americans have Cerebral Palsy

        -1 in every 185 Americans have Lupus

        -1 in every 150 Americans have Autism

     When you consider that these conditions are more rare than Gastroparesis in the American population (1 in every 25 Americans estimated to be affected) yet most people have never heard of the condition because the Awareness is just not out there.  Many of those estimated to be affected are Undiagnosed because their Doctors do not understand that Gastroparesis is not a rare consition or do not know enough about Gastroparesis to diagnose it or even recognise it!


 

What Can You Do?

     Take the time to spread the word about this horrible condition... direct people to this site or the sites on the Information Links page... write a letter to the editor... make a t-shirt... print out the page for Friends and Families and pass them around... call your congressman's office and ask what he is doing to fund research into this condition.


     Become an advocate and make your message heard!

Wear a ribbon and when people ask you what the ribbon is for, tell them about Gastroparesis and the impact it has on every day life. 

Tell them about how 5 million Americans have it yet no one ever hears about it.

To make a ribbon you will need to get two lengths, one of teal blue (representing healing and hope) and one of mauve (representing our stomachs and calming) and layer them before pinning so that when it is curled one side will be teal and the other mauve.


 

Take the Gastroparesis Awareness Challenge


    I am challenging everyone that visits this site to tell one new person a week about Gastroparesis!

    Tell them what Gastroparesis is, the symptoms and how many people are estimated to be affected.  Give them information about where they can learn more and just how urgent the need for Awareness is.  This is going to mean that you are going to have to talk about yourself... you will need to OWN Gastroparesis and not hide it and let it own you.

     You never know when your telling them about Gastroparesis may actually help them find the answer to their own un-diagnosed issues and how many people you can end up helping to find treatment early as well as getting people asking their Doctors, Politicians and Media why they have not heard about Gastroparesis when in fact it is NOT a rare condition but actually a common one.

     You will also be suprised when you find out that someone you have known for years tells you "I have" or "my family member has" Gastroparesis and I never knew it was so common.  That is when you can get them involved in the challenge as well.


 

Visit Our Store
 

     We have an online store where you can purchase Gastroparesis Awareness items for yourself or others.  We make a 10% profit on all items sold and the money goes to the Gastroparesis Patients Association for Cures and Treatments  a Legal Non-Profit in the United States of America that strives to Raise Awareness of Gastroparesis and other Digestive Tract Paralysis Conditions. (Disclaimer: we are not a part of G-PACT but proudly support them in their many activities to raise awareness)  We have more than just Gastric Motility products on our store site, so feel free to look around!  To visit our store simply click on the ribbon below!