WHAT I LEARNED AT THE CONFERENCE: part 5

You know, another thing I think I learned at this year's conference is simply this:  I learned just how important these conferences really are.

What I mean is this:  the conference is such a good, powerful, emotional experience for those with Moebius.  Finally they can be around people like them.  They can talk to others who know exactly what we all go through every day.  You don't have to be afraid that someone is going to stare at you, or that another is going to wonder what's "wrong" with you.  At the conference, if you have Moebius, you are kind of the "normal" one, for a change!

And of course, there's even more than that.  The conference is about the families of those with Moebius too.  It's about their siblings, their parents, their grandparents.  And for them too, the conference is an amazing thing.  They get to talk with other moms and dads about their struggles, their achievements, and their joys of being Moebius parents and grandparents.  They get to share information.  They get to learn things.  They get to be around other people who, again, know exactly what they are going through.

Maybe I have been getting information from an unrepresentative sample, I don't know.  But based on the people I've talked to, and all the comments and posts I've been reading on Facebook, it seems like this conference had such  a great, positive effect on so many people.  I think we're all excited about that.

And it just makes me think:  we have just got to find a way to get more people to these conferences.  What I mean is:  we need to find more ways to help people find a way there.  Let's face it--attending the conference is not cheap.  Plane fares are expensive, and then there's the expenses of hotels, food, etc.  Most people aren't rich.  That's something we really have to think about and try to work on.  We want as many people as possible to be able to benefit from the conference.  In the meantime, we're so glad to many got a lot out of this one.