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On September 2, 2005 we received a phone call saying in essence, our daughter Cammy‘s heart was not beating, and she was on her way to Erlanger hospital by way of ambulance. While we huddled with close friends and family in prayer, we were given the devastating news that she was gone.
How does something like this happen to a vibrant 26 year old young woman? How do you reconcile just two days prior taking a long walk with someone who expressed her dreams for the future who appeared healthy and happy. Well, I can only state that eating disorders are deadly.
She suffered from all three of the eating disorders (defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders #4). She had binge eating disorder in high school, where she ate in excess in private. During her freshmen year in college she turned to bulimia to rid herself of her excess high school weight. She could eat large amounts of food and then purge by way of vomiting. She was also pairing her bulimia with anorexia which can often be the case. This behavior took its toll when in her junior year of college she went into cardiac arrest, and we almost lost her for the first time. We learned when you purge you rid yourself of essential electrolytes that control the beating of the heart and thus causing it to shut down.
We sent her for treatment to Arizona to save her life, and to hopefully help her overcome her E.D. When she left after almost three months we thought she had it beaten. Unfortunately, there were additional life threatening instances that followed. Eating Disorders seemed to control her in such a way that nothing seemed to help. After many years of therapy and finding the true love of her life we thought she was finally on the road to recovery. This proved not to be the case. We are not sure to this day what exactly caused her final cardiac failure, but for sure it was a result of her eating disorders.
To honor her memory Ashley Yates (her closest friend) and I (Jan Robinson, Cammy’s Mother) founded the Mary Cameron Robinson (MCR) Foundation for the prevention and treatment of eating disorders. It would have been so helpful to me had there been a source like this when Cammy was struggling. There is so much to learn about this disease and the earlier it is treated the better the chance of survival. Denying it will not cause it to go away. We must educate ourselves to be aware of the behaviors and to intervene as soon as possible. This is absolutely crucial. Cammy would be so proud to know her death was not in vain and she lives on with this foundation.
MCR’S Mission Statement
The mission of the MCR Foundation is to provide resources for people who are affected by eating disorders in the Greater Chattanooga Tri-State area. The Foundation is committed to a holistic approach encompassing physical, emotional, spiritual, and social well being.
MCR will do this by:
• Providing education and multi-media resources
• Promoting awareness and developing prevention strategies
• Providing support systems
• Conducting research for community needs
• Promoting a healthy lifestyle and a appropriate self image
• Serve as a resource for referrals for counseling and treatment
MCR’S Vision
The MCR Foundation will be a comprehensive non-profit center in the Chattanooga Tri-State area for education concerning prevention early diagnosis and treatment of individuals and families affected by eating disorders, focusing on healing the mind, body, and spirit.
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CWDR is a non-residential center for independent living providing assistance through independent living planning, peer support, advocacy, information and referrals.
Our Commitment to you
For over twenty five years, CWDR has enhanced our communities through advancing the empowerment, inclusion, and wellness of all persons with disabilities through advocacy, community education, peer mentoring, and skill development so that they may realize independence and full participation in life.
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Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC) was launched in 2001 to provide people with mood disorders, their families and caregivers a strong, cohesive voice at the national level on issues relating to mental health and mental illness. We have conducted extensive research on depression, bipolar disorder and other associated mood disorders, with the aim to improve access to treatment, inform research, shape program development and government policy to improve the quality of life for people affected by mood disorders.
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Founded in 2002, For Grace’s main goal is to increase awareness and promote education of the gender disparity women experience in the assessment and treatment of their pain.
We believe empowering women to be better consumers for their pain management care, sensitizing the general public to gender pain disparities and enlightening public policy makers about pain as a major health issue will improve life outcomes for all women in chronic pain.
Also, we see increased medical research about the differences in how men and women experience pain as part of the answer to alleviating the toll of human suffering. We believe medical research will pave the way for gender-specific therapies that will better manage persistent pain.
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Hope for Two…The Pregnant with Cancer Network offers free support for women diagnosed with cancer while pregnant. We connect women who are currently pregnant with cancer with other women who have experienced a similar cancer diagnosis.Our mission here at Hope for Two is to provide women diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with information, support and hope.
Our Guiding Values:
We serve women in all socioeconomic, ethnic and religious backgrounds world-wide.
Volunteers with a history of cancer while pregnant are the mainstays of our support network.
We strive to remove barriers to women obtaining complete and accurate information about their options for dealing with cancer while pregnant.
We respect and support every woman’s personal decisions without judgment.
If you are looking to request support or become a volunteer support women you can visit our website at http://www.hopefortwo.org/
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The Star Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to reducing pregnancy loss and neonatal death and improving care for families who experience such tragedies. We are a community of families, health professionals, researchers, policy makers, and individuals dedicated to helping every pregnancy have a happy ending.
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Teen Cancer America is a change agent improving the lives of young people with cancer. We create youth-centered ecosystems supporting young people with cancer, their families, and the hospitals and healthcare professionals who care for them. We partner with hospitals throughout the United States to develop specialized facilities and services for teens and young adults with cancer. We build teen friendly environments, enhancing the hospital experience. We develop standards for age-targeted care, improve collaboration between pediatric and adult specialists and enable dedicated research to improve outcomes and survival for our young people.
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The Chordoma Foundation is a nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of those affected by chordoma and lead the search for a cure. Chordoma is a rare type of cancer that forms in the bones of the skull and spine and is diagnosed in just one in one million people per year. The Chordoma Foundation envisions a future in which everyone affected by chordoma is able to overcome the disease and maintain their quality of life through better treatments, better care, and a better patient experience.
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The National Widowers’ Organization educates the public about the special needs of men who have lost their spouse or life partner. We do this by promoting the development of support groups for men to manage their grief and adjust to a new life and by advocating for research into mens unique needs to deal with grief and spousal loss.
Our vision is to make appropriate groups available nationwide to all widowers that seek support.
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Hope in Bloom provides the beauty of nature for breast cancer patients living in Massachusetts. The all-volunteer non-profit plants indoor, outdoor patio and in-ground vegetable or flower gardens at the homes of people in active treatment for the disease. Gardens deliver their own special brand of medicine and recipients enjoy the benefits as they look toward the future.
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