mich's_bday_fundraiser

If you're reading this, thanks so much for getting here! This is a fundraiser for research into dysautonomia, specifically POTS. Below is some info in a Q&A format -- what it is I'm supporting and why.

What's dysautonomia?

Dysautonomia International defines dysautonomia as "an umbrella term [for] several different medical conditions that cause a malfunction of the Autonomic Nervous System" (responsible for e.g. heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, temperature control...). "People living with various forms of dysautonomia have trouble regulating these systems, which can result in lightheadedness, fainting, unstable blood pressure, abnormal heart rates, malnutrition, and in severe cases, death."

What's POTS?

POTS is a specific type of dysautonomia! It's a form of "orthostatic intolerance" -- in layman terms, someone with POTS experiences symptoms upon standing/being upright, such as a racing heart rate, "lightheadness, fainting, tachycardia, chest pains, shortness of breath, GI upset, shaking, exercise intolerance, temperature sensitivity and more. While POTS predominantly impacts young women who look healthy on the outside, researchers compare the disability seen in POTS to the disability seen in conditions like COPD and congestive heart failure." (Dysautonomia International)

It predominantly affects women of reproductive age, and is severely understudied / under-recognised, leading to long diagnostic delays (reference).

Why do you care?

In short, someone very dear to me lives with POTS. As I, to my great chagrin, cannot magick it away (no, I did not misspell "magic"), I'm doing this instead.

On this note, this is a shoutout to all the people I love living with chronic illnesses/pains, I see you :']

Why Dysautonomia International?

Of the organisations I found (not very many) and reached out to with questions, Dysautonomia International was the most responsive! You can see some of the research they've funded on their page as well. They mentioned that the POTS fund (which we're supporting this month) is what most researchers seek funding from, because research on other types of dysautonomia tends to get more government funding.