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	Supporting Multiple Births Together	Click a link below<= /p> Member Log-In= MBC Publicati= ons= Member Discou= nts Report From National Can’t see this message? Go to our website to View online.
www.multiplebirthscanada.= org
Information Circular – BO-02-26-08-#1 &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wasaga Beach, ON = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; &n= bsp; = ; February 26, 2008
News & Information from MB= C
Former Advisory Board Member Passes<= o:p>
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Dr. Elizab= eth Bryan. Elizabeth= was a very special friend to Multiple Births Canada and the Canadian multiple-birth community. Many of you will recall her amazing talks on multiple birth topics to Canadian parents, professionals, governments and other service providers. Elizabeth was t= he founder of the Twins and Multiple Births Association (TAMBA – UK) a= nd The Multiple Births Foundation (UK). She served on MBC’s Advisory Board= for many years and made several trips across the pond to help us raise awaren= ess of multiple birth issues. <= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial; color:#333333;mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>Donna Launslager, MBC Health/Education Committee Chair Her obituary can be accessed on the following websites: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml= =3D/news/2008/02/23/db2302.xml http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/dr= -elizabeth-bryan-pioneer-in-twin-studies-786129.html <= /em> The following message = was sent to us by her husband last Thursday, February 21^st: “I write with great sadness to tell you that Elizabeth/Libby died on Thursda= y, 21st February 2008. As most of you will know, Libby was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in June 2005. Initially she made a good recovery but the cancer recurred last Spring. Despite some very happy times and superb med= ical care, she has been going gently downhill for some weeks and died peaceful= ly at home as she had hoped, looking out at the Black Mountains.<= /span> &n= bsp; For fam= ily and local friends, a funeral with burial will be held at the little villa= ge church of St Bartholomew’s, Vowchurch at 2.30 pm on Wednesday, 5th March. Family flowers only please. &n= bsp; For her wider circle of friends and colleagues, a Thanksgiving Service for her li= fe will be held at St. James’s Piccadilly in London at noon on Thursday, 15th May.= &n= bsp; Donatio= ns in Libby’s memory at the funeral will be given to St Bartholomew’s (cheques made payable to = Vowchurch PCC) c/o Oak Tree Funeral Services, 6 Cas= tle Close, Eardisley, HR3 6N1). Thanksgiving Serv= ice donations will be shared between the Multiple Births Foundation and TAMBA= (cheques made payable to Elizabeth Bryan Memorial Fu= nd c/o Judy Gowing, 51 Westmoreland Road, Barnes, Lo= ndon SW13 9RZ). For on-line payment details, please email Judy (= judygowing@blueyonder.co.uk). Ronald Higgins<= /p> Quercwm Vowchurch Common<= /p> Hereford HR2 ORL
Welcome to Multiple Births Famili= es Association of Ottawa/Gatineau
Multiple Births Canada (MBC) would like to welcome the Multiple Birth Families Association of Ottawa/ Gatineau (MBFA) as an Affiliate Chapter of MBC. MBFA held its Annual Gene= ral Meeting in January where the membership voted to re-join Multiple Births Canada as an Affiliate Chapter and support the multiple-birth community at the national level. The MBC Board and national volunteers look forward to working with = the MBFA Executive and welcoming their members to our multiple-birth family! = Welcome Back MBFA!
SPOTTO Wins One Free National Confer= ence 2008 Registration!
Last fall, Multiple Births Canada issued a challenge to MBC Chapters to get involved with the HBC Giving Day fundr= aiser. Participating Chapters were encouraged to raise funds locally, and to use= the funds raised to send delegates to attend the 2008 Conference and Annivers= ary Celebrations! As an added incentive, the MBC Bo= ard of Directors offered the chance to win one free conference registration t= o Chapters who participated. To qualify, Chapters had to preregister with the Business Of= fice. All participating Chapters were entered into a draw for one free registration. And, the lucky winner is – = Saskatoon Paren= ts of Twins & Triplets Organization (SPOTTO). Well done!<= /span>
*March Today’s Parent* Magazine Features Multiple Birth Story**
Pick up a copy of the March issue = of Today’s Parent magazine and you might see a few familiar names. That’s beca= use some of our hard-working national volunteers were interviewed by Fina Scroppo (an adult = twin) for her thoroughly-researched article “Multiples Grow Up”! = Fina covers a wide range of topics including—survival of the organized, the financial stretch, separate or the same?, star= ting school, more than ordinary, the other sibling, and making me-time. Check it o= ut online http://www.todaysparent.com/li= feasparent/parenting/article.jsp?content=3D20080122_121752_7052&page=3D= 1
LAST WEEK – Call for Presenters for 2008 MBC National Conference
CALL FOR PRESENTERS CLOSES THIS FRIDAY! Three distinct workshop streams. Three keynote addresses. Three days of learning. The 35% increase of multiple births during the past two decades represents ab= out 10,000 multiple-birth babies born every year. Considered a high-risk pregnancy, most new parents of multiples only discover after the first ul= tra sound all the risks involved, including twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, poor fetal growth, premature birth and low birth weight. “Health professionals have a basic understanding of the issues, but the statistics are still too high. For example, multiples acc= ount for 1 in 5 preterm births, and 1 in 4 low birth weight births. These statistics can improve with better education and earlier intervention,= 221; said Kim Weatherall, Chair of Multiple Births Canada. Parents, volunteers and professio= nals all with an interest in multiple birth issues will come together for Mult= iple Births Canada’s National Conference in the fall of 2008. MBC invites you to share the news about our upcoming conference and this call for presenters with your pers= onal or professional networks, members, associates and colleagues. = = A full description of proposed topics is included in the Call for Presenters. CLICK HERE= to download the details and Presenters’ Application Form in MS Word. Please distribute this invitation widely to colleagues and possible interested parties. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS THIS FRIDAY!= – FEBRUARY 29, 2008. For more information, please conta= ct: Gail Moore, Director, Multiple Bir= ths Canada at 705-647-7270 or the Conference Committee at conference2008@multiplebirthscanada.org<= /b>.
Invitation to Participate in Inferti= lity Driven ART Survey
National Multiple Births Awareness Day 2008 is still a few months away, but pre-evaluation work is already in progress! MBC has added an online link for a very important survey produc= ed to gather data needed for NMBAD. This survey is intended for those who be= came pregnant with multiples through the use of assisted reproductive technolo= gy (ART) of some kind. The data collected from this rese= arch will provide us with a national picture related to the NMBAD 2008 theme. = MBC invites you to anonymously share the positive and/or negative aspects of = your personal fertility journey. The evaluation of this information will be sh= ared with our members, as well as health care professionals and others working= in multiple births related fields as a backgrounder in the NMBAD 2008 media = kit and on the MBC website. = Please CLICK HERE= to access the survey.
Employee Donation Programs
Attention MBC Volunteers!! It has come to our attention that many employers are willing to make a donation to the non-profit/charity t= hat their employees volunteer for. Specific criteria and an application form = are usually required. Some organizations that we have noted are TD Canada Tru= st ($500), RBC Financial ($500) and the Honda Canada plant ($200 annually).<= o:p> <= span style=3D'font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:#333333'>Spread the wor= d... ask your employer= ... you could help make a difference and add to your Chapter's budget or assi= st MBC at the national level.
Research Project – ‘Identical’ Female Adult Twins Needed
= Multiple Births Canada was re= cently contacted by a researcher from the University of Texas Health Science Centre. Staley = Brod, MD, is performing a study= in monozygotic “identical” female twins where one has MS. The purpose of the trial is outlined below. Please note that Dr. Brod can be reached at the email and phone numbers = below. Air Travel costs will be provided. = NATIONAL MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SOCIETY = Research Project = Staley Brod, MD, Department of Neurology The Sc= hool of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX “Clinical conversion of fem= ale monozygotic twins discordant for CIS/MS” Investigating twins in whom one has MS for clues to predicting the development of disease in the othe= r. Often a person experiences a sing= le neurological attack, and if there is other suggestive evidence such as br= ain MRI lesions, this condition is called clinically isolated syndrome (CIS).= A person with CIS may never experience any other episodes, or he or she may eventually develop clinically definite MS. Being able to predict who is likely to develop definite MS would allow for earlier treatment and hopef= ully a better outcome. ‘Identical’ twins sha= re the same genes, and have the highest rate of shared MS, yet many times the twin of a person who has MS may be spared. Staley = Brod, MD, is recruiting five pairs of ‘identical’ female twins, with on= ly one of each pair having MS. His team is obtaining MRI scans and performing proteomics (large-scale studies of proteins, particularly their structures and functions) to determine if the presence of MS brain lesions (areas of disease activity or damage) on MRI or specific proteins in the blood or spinal fluid can predict over time that the other twin will develop defin= ite MS. This study may enable the develop= ment of simple imaging or blood tests that can predict the likelihood of the o= nset of MS in 'at risk' subjects. STALEY BROD, Professor of Neurolo= gy University of Texas - Houston 6431 Fannin<= /span> St., Ste 7044= Houston, TX 77030 office 713.500.7135, fax 713.500.7041, cell 713.213.1105 staley.a.brod@uth.tmc.edu
<= span style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Hlk150437161'>	*Supporting Canada’s Multiple-Birth Community for 30 Years!* 2008 MBC National Conference October 16-19, 2008 - Delta = Markham Greater Toronto Area <= span style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Hlk150437161'>CALL FOR PRESENTERS DEADLINE DATE FEBRUARY 29TH!
Multiple Births Canada Naissances multiples Canada PO Box 432 Wasaga Beach, Ontario<= /st1:State> L9Z 1A4 Toll-free (in Canada): 1-866-228-8824 Tel: 705-429-0901 Fax: 705-429-9809 office@multiplebirthscanada.or= g www.multiplebirthscanada.org/<= /span><= /span> <= o:p> The content of this email is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with= any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Multiple Births Canada Information Circulars (ICs) are a mass email service managed by the Board of Director= s of Multiple Births Canada and are for information sharing purposes only. Opinions and conclusions expressed through this service do not necessarily reflect the views of either the Board of Directors or the caring voluntee= rs of Multiple Births Canada. If you wish to be removed or added to this lis= t, please contact the Business Office<= span style=3D'mso-bookmark:_Hlk150437161'>.	Multiple Births Canada and Mount Sinai Hospi= tal’ s Multiple Birth= DVD Project Multiple Births Canada is pleased to announce that we have forged a partnership with Mount Sinai Hospital to produce an education= al video/DVD for parents expecting multiple-birth children. It is anticipated that this DVD will become a valuable educational resource for prenatal educators, parenting groups, and individual families. The initial work in the partnership will focus on learner needs assessment to ensure that the DVD content meets the needs of our intended audience, and= on fundraising to cover the costs of the DVD development. <= /span> If you are interested in making a financial contribution to the project, please forward your cheque to: Multiples DVD Project Maternal Infant Program Mount Sinai Hospital 600 University Avenue Toronto, ON M5G 1X5<= /o:p> A charitable donation receipt will= be made available for all donations.