Dr. Will was diagnosed with FMF (Familial Mediterranean Fever) in her mid 30's despite having symptoms starting at age 14. FMF is considered a rare and incurrable inherited disease. It took years of seeing multiple medical specialists and enduring years of medical tests, procedures, and even surgery before arriving at an accurate diagnosis. It was extremely frustrating for her. Since being diagnosed, she has communicated with other FMF patients through an online support group. They all have similar stories to share about how long it took them to finally get a diagnosis and how frustrating the whole process was.
Dr. Will has done countless hours of research on the topic of FMF. She has found that there are numerous diseases similar to hers, all under the category of Periodic Fever Syndromes. She has even travelled abroad to meet some of the top world experts on the matter. In her research she has found astonishing facts. One fact in particular that caught her attention was that 1 in 10 people have a rare disease. She tries to teach her residents the importance of recognizing rare diseases and the fact that maybe they aren't so rare. Maybe they just aren't being diagnosed properly. Dr. Will wants to do so much more to help patients with rare diseases get diagnosed and treated properly.
Dr. Will has done extensive research on organizations which help patients with rare diseases. She believes NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders) is the organization which can have the greatest impact for all patients with rare diseases, and not just FMF. This is why she has chosen to donate profits from the sale of this cookbook to NORD. NORD is extremely proficient in their use of donated funds using 97 cents out of every dollar for patient care. If you would like more information about NORD, please click on the following link. It will direct you to their website.
http://www.rarediseases.org
Thank you for your generosity and support of a very worthy cause.
