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Loretta
Beach
1957-2009
It
is with great sadness that we announce the sudden death by stroke of TCN's president,
Loretta Beach. Loretta's warm heart and determination helped guide TCN through
the last two years as president, and before that as a member of the board, holding
many positions. Along with TCN, she gave her time and limited energy to her daughter's
school. Despite being as ill as she was, Loretta's spirit sparkled from her from
very the first time she attended a TCN meeting many years ago. She is missed by
all whose lives she touched, but most of all by her husband, Michael, and their
daughter, Jessica. Read Loretta's obituary and guestbook... |
Welcome
to our home on the web
Welcome to The Carousel Network (TCN) of Sonoma County. We hope that you will
find useful information here. Please take some time to explore our resources.
You may have visited www.cndsinfo.net prior to 2003, and noticed a different format
and content. We are the same organization with a new webmaster. If you are looking
for one of Melissa's (our past webmaster) numerous informational articles on chronic
neuroimmune diseases please visit her current web site (hint: see sidebar for
the link). What
are chronic neuroimmune diseases (CNDS)?
Variously called chronic neuroimmunological disease, chronic neuroimmunoendocrinological
disease, or chronic immunological neurological disease, these are biologically
multi-systemic diseases most likely caused by infective, genetic, and environmental
factors. These diseases and disorders, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia,
multiple chemical sensitivities, are documented in the medical literature, but
as of yet there is no known cause, no cure, and no magic bullet. Unfortunately,
the majority of the general public (and a big chunk of the medical professions)
find it easier to dismiss these very real conditions as being "all in our heads."
Ironically, these disorders are in our heads, in our brains, to be exact, not
the hypochondriasis or psychosomatization, but some very real functional and organic
changes in our brain, and how the brain, immune, and endocrine systems functions
and responds to input from the world around us and dysfunctions within us. What
is the prognosis for those who have one or more of these disorders? Some regain
a degree of health, some remain the same, and some worsen over time. There are
many treatment options available and often treatments work well for some and not
at all for others. It takes patience and commitment, but improvement is possible
for many. The
Carousel Network
We are here to provide information and support to those who are afflicted with
CNDS, as well as their friends and family members. We believe that by sharing
information and our experience, we empower each other to find effective ways of
managing these diseases. We have monthly speaker meetings, a bimonthly newsletter,
a web site, a phone list, educational materials, a community resource list, and
a place to meet on line 24/7. If this is your first visit to us, we welcome you!
Become
a TCN member
Members get our bimonthly newsletter, are eligible for membership in our private
email list, receive email reminders for meetings and events, and have borrowing
privileges with the TCN Library. The information in
our newsletter often complements the information covered at the meetings during
those months, enabling those who attend meetings to better understand the material
covered by the speaker or other program. For annual membership, please complete
a membership form, and send it with your check
for $20 made out to The Carousel Network to the address to the left. You
may also join when you attend one of our meetings. Donations
Monetary donations may be made payable to The Carousel Network, and
sent to our mailing address. If you would like to donate books, videos, or other
media related to CNDS please contact us. We appreciate your assistance. Volunteer
We are an all-volunteer
organization, currently operated exclusively by people with CNDS. We will happily
take healthy volunteers, too. We are looking for folks to help with tasks large
and small. Please let us know if you would like to be of service by emailing us
at carousel@cndsinfo.net. For information
on the types of things we need volunteers for, please see our Volunteers
Are The Carousel Network page. Peer-to-Peer
Support Email List for TCN Members
The Carousel Network
has an email list for TCN members to
share experiences and coping strategies. If you would like
to join this list, please visit the CarouselNet
page at Google Groups. When requesting to join the list, please give your first
and last name, the city you live in, and why you'd like to join. Prospective subscribers
are screened to reduce the likelihood of spammers and IAIYH types from joining.
(Please note: our
monthly meetings are open to everyone, but only TCN members receive the TCN newsletter,
have borrowing privileges from our library, and can join our e-mail group.)
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