North Port Connect Group

Important Announcements:

• 
  We are so excited to launch the inaugural Jingle Bell Run in North Port!
  Please register your team here: http://jbr.org/NorthPort 
  I have a file for anyone interested in getting the word out with some flyers.
  We are also seeking ‘in-kind’ donations of various things (see below)
  Please ask anyone you know who might be able to help.
  Anyone interested in helping the Jingle Bell Run North Port Committee, please let me know any emails/numbers for those who want to be included on committee emails and committee call invites. The calls will just be one-hour, once per month. Committee volunteers can help with a variety of things, including helping find new sponsors or teams, event planning, logistics, marketing & promoting the event, and more.
• Jingles ornament- We are planning to create a ‘Jingles’ ornament that teams can sell as an additional fundraiser. Please let me know if you would be interested in this and appx. how many you think you could sell (trying to get an idea on initial order).
• In-kind donations- Getting items donated will be a huge help and expense saver in this first year event! Here’s a list of some items we might need/want to have for the event day. Please ask anyone you know who might be able to help and let the group know if something is secured. The National Anthem and some event day volunteers are already secured, but here is a sample list of things we could use volunteers or ‘in-kind’ donations for (I was the photographer for the Fort Lauderdale Run/Walk and Miami a few years back. It was a blast!).
  • Bottled water, coffee (Ask is already out to Dunkin for coffee & donuts & I’m going to try to get Black Gold Coffee Roasters, Venice to lock down the coffee), food & snacks (for before & after run; with something gluten free), A Santa for pictures, Local mascots, entertainment (music, chorus groups, cheerleaders, dancers, etc.), DJ, kid’s activities, tables & chairs, someone to do a warm-up for everyone before the run, printed signage, 10x10 pop up tents, photographer, someone for basic first aid, and anything else that can help make our event fun!
     

As this is a first-time event, I thought it would be nice for us all to get together prior. I can schedule a zoom call for the group or we can all try to get together at the library or something. Apologies for not being more active, I have to have right hip surgery the end of September and have been busy with family matters. There are a few other Connect Groups I try to piggyback off for online events. If you see something you’d like to learn more about or a discussion you’d like to be involved in, feel free to sign-up for it. There are a few I have yet to post that are quickly upcoming, including an educational perspective on blending eastern and western medicine (what I wrote my Graduate Thesis on…) THIS Saturday in the morning online. I should be in attendance assuming my schedule permits. It will be nice to see you Saturday and VERY informative (Studied it a great deal already. Guarentee we all learn something new).

Here are the details: We are pleased to have Dr. Edward Hui from UCLA East West Medicine joining us during Pain Awareness Month (September) for a conversation on East-West Medicine integration in self management for chronic pain West Los Angeles, CA Live Yes! Connect Group – Integrative East-West Medical Approach to Pain and Self-Management
event link: https://connectgroups.arthritis.org/events/event-detail?eventid=133435  Full event details at that link (in case my hyperlinks don't work: highlight, copy, then paste and go in browser).

Sat. 9/10/2022, 10am-1pm EST

Event Organizer: Haydee Sedlmeier  West Los Angeles Connect Group

Don’t forget we have an amazing Connect Group Event that will be held on Zoom with Renowned Chef Jim Perko  October 08,2022 10am ET to 11:30am ET pre-register on the event page.

Lastly, remember registration is required to get the zoom call link for some of these online events.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Jingle Bell Run after a full recovery from hip surgery! Feel free to get in touch concerning the Jingle Bell Run/Walk

Thanks all!

~Jarett

Just finished a zoom call for the launch of the Arthritis Foundation app "VIM". https://www.arthritis.org/vim

Or search 'VIM Arthritis' on your app store. Do check it out. Seems a lot easier to navigate with even more resources than the website, including daily pain tracker, podcasts, access to expert advice, cheer contacts on their journey to live their best lives and much more! Do add me on there and follow me, 'JarettC' 

Just wanted to connect with people in this group. If you have any questions, concerns, or need advice on therapies, feel free to ask. I would like to host an event (meet & greet) and am open to suggestions when the best time would be and where in the North Port area is most convenient for people. Now that most places are open again we could meet at the library. I could reserve a room there to gather or we could get together at a local restaurant. Do let me know your preference. Also, feel free to invite friends and family to the group for further support in assisting them understand our struggles with Arthritis. I'm here not only as a facilitator, but as a resource of information and an individual with Ankylosing Spondylitis (very similar to RA). Do feel free to reach out to me here or other social media platforms. I'm here to assist everyone and grow the group. Hope everyone is doing well.

Sincerely,

Jarett Chizick M.Ed 

Hello everyone! 
im a newbie here. I found this trouble by just googling RA symptoms and family info so my kids can better understand when mommy has flares. Right now I am having one, thanks to covid I have not been able to be put on my long term treatment plan nor take my steroids, as I have a lowered immune system anyways.I wish people truly understood my pain. I feel like my hips down are burning and frozen. Along with severe pain I can't shake. I have naproxen, gabapentin, and it doesn't touch it. It's a joke. I hate feeling this worn out and completely lately helpless. There has to be a better answer and treatment for this disease. It all. Wanted to do was sleep today and other out of bed, but I know that is impossible. I hope everyone in here is doing okay through all of this...

Can anyone recommend a good caring doctor in the North Port/Venice area? My wife is 57 yo and was diagnosed with RA about 5 years ago, we moved to FL 3 years ago and she is not that happy with her Doctor.