I'm pleased to share here at Lumigrate the video I created to raise awareness about fibromyalgia. Many people with fibromyalgia feel isolated with their condition because those around them either don't believe or don't understand.
Fibromyalgia is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed by many health care providers.
It affects approximately 3-4% of the population of the USA, (10-12 million people).
If you have been diagnosed with FMS or suffer from it's symptoms or have a family member or friend with the disorder and would like to learn more information, as the video represents, there are many good books and Internet resources, some of which I included in the video as you will see.
The International Fibromyalgia Awareness Campaign seeks the mainstream media attention to raise awareness.
Please get involved and help us promote awareness by joining our cause on facebook or through our website, links for which are: www.facebook.com/michael.lenyo#!/pages/International-Fibromyalgia-Awareness-Campaign/118086741575562 [1] and www.fibrocarecenter.com [2]
Please share this video with others. Here's the link: www.youtube.com/watch [3]
Thank you, and thank you, Mardy and Lumigrate for wanting to be part of this awareness video and campaign -- Mari
Mariluz Fontanez, cosmetologist with over 14 years of experience in the beauty industry. Mariluz holds a Bachelors degree in Communications; majored in Film/TV Production and minored in Public Relations. She was recently diagnosed with CFIDS/Fibromyalgia and it is now her passion and personal quest to put her skills to good use by making a huge impact in the media through an educational, fun interactive Fibromyalgia awareness campaign: "Beauty from Pain". Together with Dr. Mark Guariglia, Mariluz has created IFAC (International Fibromyalgia Awareness Campaign), a support group on Facebook www.causes.com/causes/514018 [4] with a very optimistic approach in health and overall wellness. Mariluz finds Lumigrate to be the perfect venue to bring light to this campaign and help so many affected by this syndrome.
Links:
[1] http://www.facebook.com/michael.lenyo#!/pages/International-Fibromyalgia-Awareness-Campaign/118086741575562
[2] http://www.fibrocarecenter.com
[3] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMQaAITmzPE&feature=player_embedded
[4] http://www.causes.com/causes/514018?m=9e4cc0c7
[5] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/video-ifac-fibromyalgia-healing-begins#comment-958
[6] http://twitter.com/lumigrate
[7] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/video-ifac-fibromyalgia-healing-begins#top
[8] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/login?destination=node/675%23comment-form
[9] http://www.lumigrate.com/user/register?destination=node/675%23comment-form
[10] http://www.lumigrate.com/forum/video-ifac-fibromyalgia-healing-begins#comment-2361
Comments
Hey Mari -- It's an honor to have been included as you did in this video; it is very rewarding to have had Lumigrate up and 'here for you' in 2010 when you were diagnosed and were seeking out information. It was YOUR FIRST video that I saw on facebook one morning and it was like water being thrown on me -- WHAT TALENT for putting together video for starters, and then the dramatic way of integrating before/after photos and your family and activities with them was really amazing. And this video just shows you're continuing to hone this NEW skill of yours at video production and marketing of a CAUSE.
I know that you and Mark, as co-founders of IFAC are going to serve to bring much more and needed attention to this prevailant condition and it's effective treatments and I look forward to more collaboration in the future.
For those reading here, Mariluz has a formal education in communication and marketing from college, and fell into a career initially which utilized her family's history in the hair/style industry and art, and became a stylist/artist in the New York, New Jersey (USA) area. She's taken a lead as Lumigrate's aesthetics content provider here in the Forums -- look for a forum about what you look like on the outside being related to your health on the inside too (aesthetics, skin, hair, nails). In our first conversation I am pleased to have been 'shining the light of health and well-being' (Lumigrate's motto) related to what I call 'topical toxins', and she rolled up her sleeves and got to researching and writing about becoming 'green' with products, and has been trialing things ever since. With her background in the aesthetics industry and her standards for effects from makeup, I'm very much looking forward to ongoing updates from her in the aesthetics section.
Mari -- you're a tremendous talent, and I very much thank you for all you do related to fibromyalgia. The first few moments I watched your initial video last summer, I said 'mark my words, she's the one that's going to take 'the F word' flag all the way to the top of the popular media flagpole. And I certainly will do my part from Lumigrate to help with that.
To you and everyone, I wish the highest health and that comes from education and activism as a person. You set a marvelous example, as I hope I do as well -- along with many, many others. So if we all can grab hands and get in the boat together and everyone grab an oar and paddle a little or a lot dependinging upon what we're able to do, change can be dramatic, I believe. Here's to a marvelous 2011 for awareness about FMS! You kicked off the New Year with this video, and it had 1,000 views on YouTube in the first week! That's awesome!
Here in the Awareness /FMS Forum you'll see letters which Aimee Shannon set up for people which she had used successfully to reach out to clinics and professionals as well as local media. I believe there is much which can come from getting your politicians involved as well and will bring more about that to the Awareness forum in the near future. Those are some ideas to start off with related to awareness.
My personal favorite is to block and copy this Topic on Lumigrate.com and email it to people who aren't currently on facebook following, which is generally medical providers. (The links above the header work and people can navigate to the forum this is in, or the section, home, etc.). And then they have something to forward to people in email who will hopefully explore around and see all there is at Lumigrate related to information about fibromyalgia. So I invite others to do the same, or send the link to get them to this page about Healing Begins!
~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [6] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!
It's an honor to have gotten to meet Mari (on the phone) early on in her process, just after she made her first video of photos from her 'before'. She has helped to get a fibromyalgia-focused organization off the ground and our Forum on What's on the Outside/skin/hair benefitted from the pieces she had time to provide before she turned her attention to other things.
I learned from working with Mari that if you have someone with ambitions, you cannot ask them to help you because they will forego their own wellness in order to promote themselves/their interests. In 2011, for the first time, we did not bring on any new people with chronic illness to write or provide information and started shifting increasingly to a focus where we rely on those who are chronically well at the time to provide our information.
This is a really wonderful video and it helped a LOT of new people learn about Lumigrate.com, and Mari was appreciative of our support and my wishes for her ongoing career developments! ~~ Mardy
Live and Learn. Learn and Live Better! is my motto. I'm Mardy Ross, and I founded Lumigrate in 2008 after a career as an occupational therapist with a background in health education and environmental research program administration. Today I function as the desk clerk for short questions people have, as well as 'concierge' services offered for those who want a thorough exploration of their health history and direction to resources likely to progress their health according to their goals. Contact Us comes to me, so please do if you have questions or comments. Lumigrate is "Lighting the Path to Health and Well-Being" for increasing numbers of people. Follow us on social networking sites such as: Twitter: http://twitter.com/lumigrate [6] and Facebook. (There is my personal page and several Lumigrate pages. For those interested in "groovy" local education and networking for those uniquely talented LumiGRATE experts located in my own back yard, "LumiGRATE Groove of the Grand Valley" is a Facebook page to join. (Many who have joined are beyond our area but like to see the Groovy information! We not only have FUN, we are learning about other providers we can be referring patients to and 'wearing a groove' to each other's doors -- or websites/home offices!) By covering some of the things we do, including case examples, it reinforces the concepts at Lumigrate.com as well as making YOU feel that you're part of a community. Which you ARE at Lumigrate!