June 2014 Community Newsletter

Welcome Blog
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Summer - the time of the year where some of our wonderful and fun memories are made. As a quote goes, "Life without love is like a year without summer." Spend some time with your loved ones, enjoy the sights and sounds of nature and feel the warmth brought by summer. After all, everyone deserves a break. Summer Greetings from Ben's Friends!
Great news! The recent survey conducted on how Ben's Friends positive impact on one's health and well-being has given amazing results. Read more from Ben's Friends highlights below.

Welcome New Members!

Huge thanks for joining us! This community is dedicated for the patients, friends, parents, spouses, siblings, and children affected with rare diseases. We truly aim to connect you with others who can genuinely help and relate to your conditions so will never feel alone.

Explore the community and discover new connections. Write about your experience, share your stories and ask your questions though blogs or forums. And, remember to have fun! Again, our warmest welcome to you.

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IN THIS ISSUE

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CIDP COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Featured Content

Featured Member

Picture of the Month

Community Stat

BEN'S FRIENDS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH

Caregiver Community Launched

Featured Community: Living With Ulcerative Colitis

Ben's Friends Member Survey Result

CIDP COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

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Featured Content: New to website!!!

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Starting off with some questions on his condition, Mike created this discussion post to help us get to know him more and, better yet, he gave us an idea on how we can absolutely help him out. Check out his inquiries from the post and see what you can do to assist Mike, a new member in the community.

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Featured Member: Robert Martin

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After years of being exposed to different toxins, Robert experienced difficulty in breathing, swallowing, and digestion among others. But, because of his occupation, he needed to still go to a project where he experienced an accident that needed surgery. After different tests, he was just recently diagnosed with CIDP. Inspite of all this, Robert remains to be fighting his battle. Still experiencing discomfort on his condition, he truly needs all the support that he can get. Get to know him more and how you can help Robert out through his profile page!

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Picture of the Month

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There are certain times in our lives wherein we think that there is no chance of us pulling ourselves back together. Little do we know, we go through everyday with that chance. Stephen, from the Eagle Syndrome community, shared this simple yet very uplifting photo of a quote that can certainly change us on how we view life. Check out Stephen's shared photo!

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Community Stat:

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Number of Members as of June 1, 2014 : 1,156

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BEN'S FRIENDS HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MONTH

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Caregiver Community Launched

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What would survivors and/or patients be without Caregivers and people who care? Caregivers are so important, not to mention necessary for continued survival, yet Caregivers encounter similar struggles in caregiving activities and in helping their loved-ones.

Ben's Friends is glad to announce and provide a community specifically for Caregivers. Visit our Caregiver Community at this Facebook page.

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Featured Community: Living With Ulcerative Colitis

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Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes long-lasting inflammation in part of

your digestive tract. Ben's Friends recently launched a new community for people affected by Ulcerative colitis through Facebook. If you or you knew someone who is affected with this disease, feel free to join and share your stories to our newest ulcerative colitis community on this page.

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Ben's Friends Member Survey ResultBen's Friends Member Survey Result2014

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More than 1,275 members participated in our recent survey! The results were incredible with 75% of the members saying that Ben's Friends Community has a positive impact on health and how one approaches treatment. We couldn't be more proud! A lot of the credit goes to the volunteer moderators who manage the communities and keep them positive and productive. Thank you Moderators!
The survey was put together by a prestigious non profit consulting group called Bridgespan Consulting.



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