March is Lymphedema Awareness Month, and Friday, March 6, is World Lymphedema Day.
For the second year in Trail, on March 6, there will be a World Lymphedema Celebration at the Kiro Wellness Center, located at 1500 Columbia Avenue.
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From 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., there will be information about the new clinic plus information about self care and new information coming out from research currently being conducted into Lymphedema.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
For more information contact Willa at 250.368.1552 or email poke1@mac.com.
Lymphedema impacts over a million Canadians, 130,000 in British Columbia, yet most have never heard of this condition.
It is a chronic lymphatic condition that causes swelling of an area in the body.
It is painful and there is no cure.
Primary Lymphedema can occur at birth or later in life. Secondary Lymphedema is caused by surgery or any trauma to the body. It can develop immediately after surgery or years later. Both types of Lymphedema are life changing.
The Lymphatic system is part of the immune system in the body. Normally these ‘immune trafficking,’ infection-fighting cells can be mobilized to the tissues that require assistance.
With the inflammation and swelling in the region impacted by Lymphedema the cells fly the white flag and the body becomes prone to reoccurring infections.
Lymphedema is progressive and without treatment mobility can become compromised.
This year the BC Lymphedema Association (BCLA) is raising funds for equipment for the new Lymphedema clinic based at Vancouver General Hospital that saw their first patients in January 2020.
The BCLA has already raised over $39,000 of the $250,000 needed to fund equipment for the clinic.
The clinic will be accessible for all Lymphedema patients living in B.C.
Dr. Elliot Weiss and Dr. Erin Brown will be assessing Lymphedema patients and the clinic will also be set up for microsurgery.
Surgeons have begun doing surgery involving lymph node transplants and redirecting lymphatic flow which can be life changing.
For more information about the clinic and how to donate go to www.bclymph.org and click on donate.
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