Lymphatic disease – Page 3 – Lymphedema Diary

My oasis. It’s a salt water pool located five minutes from my home – close enough that I can make it without compression stockings on the drive to and from.

From the time my alarm clock goes off in the morning to the moment I shut my eyes at night, I am constantly reminded that I have lymphedema in my legs. When my bare feet touch the plush rug on my bedroom floor and I sleepily stagger to the bathroom to brush my teeth, I savor every step. I think to myself, “God, this feels good.” Spreading my toes a little wider as I stride back across the hard wood floor in the hallway, I try to push out of my mind the thought that within minutes I will once again be encased from my toes up to my waist in compression stockings. My iron legs, as I call them.

Continue reading “Want to feel like you don’t have lymphedema?” →

On Sunday, September 8th at 11 a.m. the Lymphatic Research Foundation (LRF) will host their 2013 Walk for Lymphedema and Lymphatic Diseases. It will be at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, NY. Lymphedema Diary is one of the sponsors of this worthy event.

Melanie Chaite (right) and me at the 2012 LRF Walk.

LRF was founded the same year that I came down with lymphedema, so I feel a certain kinship with this organization. It was founded by Wendy Chaite, whose daughter was born with systemic lymphatic disease and lymphedema. Frustrated by the lack of available medical and scientific answers – to which readers of this blog can surely relate – Wendy quit her successful law practice and founded LRF to promote research of treatments and cures. Wendy’s daughter, Melanie, is going into her junior year at New York University and was the keynote speaker at last year’s walk. You can watch a video of her speech here. It is a must watch and only about 5 minutes.

Continue reading “Lymphatic Research Foundation: 15 years of hope, inspiration and progress” →