Greetings everyone! 

Well, I must admit, from when we started the National Fabry Disease Foundation in 2005 until now, life has gone by quickly! In what seems the blink of an eye, I am almost 20 years older. Having Fabry disease, I feel like I've been given a bunch of bonus years to continue doing what I love doing. I am proud of the NFDF's accomplishments in supporting the Fabry community. I look forward to finding new ways to provide support.

We have contributed significantly to providing Fabry disease education and resources to promote a better understanding of Fabry disease. We all know the facts about Fabry disease seem to change as research continues to uncover new information.  One of the current challenge is gaining a better understanding of the differences, similarities, and trends in the symptoms of people of differenet genders, ages, and GLA gene variatnts. We attempt to keep up with these changes and keep our community informed. We hope our contributions have and continue to enable people with Fabry disease to better manage their disease and to live better and longer lives. This has always been our priority.

Many of us start this journey believing our journey's end will come sooner than most others. Personally, I try to do all the things necessary to stay as healthy as possible, and with some good fortune added in, I am happily still upright long beyond my expectations. After diligently adhering to our Fabry treatment schedule and managing other medical needs, the only things we seem to be able to do are the same things everyone else needs to do to stay as healthy as possible. We can manage our blood pressure and cholesterol, eat healthily, get enough exercise/activity, get enough sleep, don't smoke, and keep our brains engaged. I recommend everyone triy to do all these things even though it requires a constant balancing act.

With the approved treatments we have now and continuing research into other future treatments, the prognosis for people like us and especially children with Fabry disease looks brighter!

Please, everyone, stay diligent, stay strong, and stay safe!    

As always, I am proudly serving the Fabry community and am always available to speak with you at 800-651-9131.

Sincerely, Jerry Walter

NFDF Founder and President