Chesterfield, MO–This afternoon at the Samuel C Sachs branch of St Louis County Library, Mayor John Nations of Chesterfield proclaimed today ‘World Cushings [sic] Syndrome Awareness Day’.
Mr Nations presented this proclamation to Ms Susan K Findley, a survivor of the syndrome. She said ‘It was an honor to be recognized by the mayor today. I greatly appreciate him taking time to attend our Cushing’s Awareness event and for issuing and presenting me with the proclamation. He has helped to stoke the fire for my endeavor of speading the word about Cushing’s. I will continue my fight against this brutal condition that could have ended my life and has ended many lives of people around the world, including a couple friends of mine. Lingering symptoms continue to affect me in most of my daily activities, though I am very fortunate to have support of fellow ‘Cushies’ in groups like ‘Cushies on Facebook’. My hope is to spread knowledge and awareness about Cushing’s Syndrome, starting online and in my local community, and not stop until there is global awareness so that no more lives are claimed by this horrible condition that doesn’t care who it ambushes.’
Cushing’s Syndrome is named after the doctor who discovered it, Dr Harvey Williams Cushing, nearly 80 years ago. It is an endocrine disorder caused by high levels of cortisol in the blood. It also has many causes and can manifest over a very short or long time. The symptoms are often misdiagnosed as a combination of other ailments.
Susan Kate Findley is still fighting Cushing’s and intends to continue her advocacy on a global level. She invites everyone to visit the ‘Cushies on Facebook’ group at http://tinyurl.com/cushies .