FALL/WINTER 2009 volume of our quarterly newsletter, "Antiphospho...What??" is Available

The FALL/WINTER 2009 volume of our quarterly newsletter, "Antiphospho...What??" is ready to be downloaded. You can download it at the following link: http://www.apsfa.org/docs/APSFAVol15FallWinter2009.pdf

The next volume will be coming out in late Winter, early Spring, 2010.

Please let us know if there are any topics that you'd like our Medical Advisors to cover in their articles. We try to request topics that people are emailing about or that are discussed on our the forum. So if there's anything you'd like to see, please let us know and we'll pass it along to the medical advisors.

We are still in need of patient stories (esp about Pregnancy Loss, Men and Teens or Children), recipes, poems, related book reviews, and anything else you think would be of interest for upcoming newsletters. (book reviews, poems, recipes, articles written by family members, etc.) Please submit articles to the following email address: articles@apsfa.org.

If you have an idea and are not sure if it would fit, please feel free to contact us through our contact page on the website, or email us using the email address below. We are open to any suggestions. Without your help we would not be able to include an APS patient's story in each of our newsletters.

We could also use articles written by medical professionals or medical students. Please contact us if you are interested.

Please remember to check our website for any changes at the following link: http://www.apsfa.org/new.htm

Keywords: APSFA, APS Foundation, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, lupus, stroke, dvt, pe, thrombosis, clot, migraine, hughes syndrome, miscarriage, america, usa, anticoagulant, heart attack, APS, newsletter

*Exclusive* 2009 APSFA Holiday Ornament

Our EXCLUSIVE holiday snowflake ornament is now available for purchase in our Cafepress store. This is the 4th in the series and each one is unique! We picked the snowflake to be the symbol on this special ornament because like there are no two snowflakes that are alike, no two APS patients are alike!

Purchase this ornament here: http://www.cafepress.com/apsfoundation/1952386

Keywords: APSFA, APS Foundation, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, lupus, stroke, dvt, pe, thrombosis, clot, migraine, hughes syndrome, miscarriage, america, usa, anticoagulant, heart attack, APS, holiday, ornament

2009 APSFA Giving Tree

We are excited to announce the arrival of our 4th Annual Holiday Giving Tree!

This tree holds a special meaning for the members of the APS Foundation of America, Inc and the community it serves. Since the Giving Tree has been such a big success in the past, we've made it an annual tradition.

How the tree works: When you make a donation using the chart below the tree, you get to chose an ornament or present that coincides with the amount you wish to donate. We will then trim the tree with the ornaments selected. By the end of the season we will have a beautifully decorated tree due to your generous donations!

As in the past, the ornaments are one of a kind and we even have new presents this year!

All Giving Tree donations are tax deductible and need to be made by 12/31/09 to be included for 2009.

Thank you for your consideration and generosity this holiday season!

To make a donation and add an ornament to our tree click here: http://www.apsfa.org/givingtree.htm

Keywords: APSFA, APS Foundation, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, lupus, stroke, dvt, pe, thrombosis, clot, migraine, hughes syndrome, miscarriage, america, usa, anticoagulant, heart attack, APS, giving tree

`Wipeout' TV show player with rare condition dies

`Wipeout' TV show player with rare condition dies
Thu Nov 12, 7:03 pm ET



LOS ANGELES – A contestant who was hospitalized after competing briefly on the game show "Wipeout" died two weeks later of a stroke apparently caused by a rare condition, his father said.

Tom Sparks, 33, was participating in the first segment of an obstacle course Oct. 19 when he complained of knee pain, according to Endemol, the company which produces "Wipeout" for ABC.

Producers had him stop, Endemol said Thursday. On-set medics examined Sparks, noticed he was short of breath and took him to a local hospital.

He was moved to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and underwent several brain surgeries, according to TheWrap.com, which first reported Sparks' Nov. 5 death.

Sparks couldn't be saved because of the brain damage that had occurred, the Web site said, citing an e-mail to alumni from a faculty member at Sparks' alma mater.

Sparks, a former Sun Valley, Idaho, radio disc jockey, earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern California and later earned a master's degree from the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

In a statement to the Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, Bill Sparks, his father, said doctors determined the stroke probably was caused by antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, known as APS.

APS is associated with recurrent clotting events including premature stroke and heart attack, according to the APS Foundation of America Inc.'s Web site.

"Wipeout" contestants undergo medical examinations before they are cleared for the show, Endemol said. However, the diagnosis of APS requires specialized blood tests, the foundation said on its site.

"We offer our heartfelt condolences to the family," ABC and Endemol said in a joint statement. "This is a tragic loss and our thoughts are with them at this time."

Sparks, who was a runner and recently competed in a marathon, had just married and was competing on "Wipeout" with his wife, Kate, on a couples episode. The show is in production for the third season, premiering next summer.
___

On the Net:
http://www.apsfa.org/
http://www.abc.go.com


Story URL: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091113/ap_en_tv/us_tv_wipeout_player_dies

Keywords: APSFA, APS Foundation, antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, lupus, stroke, dvt, pe, thrombosis, clot, migraine, hughes syndrome, miscarriage, america, usa, anticoagulant, heart attack, APS, wipeout, tom sparks