Global CCSVI Expo

[happy_canuck]

Hi everyone,

I jumped in at the deep end of online events and decided to "go big or go home!" with this venture. I took a cue from a group of my son's friends who do this every year for a children's charity with great success. Well, I don't know if teenage gamers or people with MS and CCSVI spend more time online (it's probaby a close tie), but I thought it was a good fit for those who can't get out to see these speakers in person and to build community and CCSVI awareness worldwide.

So, hot on the heels of our CCSVI conference (held in Victoria, BC Sept 10), I announced the Global CCSVI Expo. The idea is we will broadcast over the Internet live, without interruption, for 36 hours straight. We will fill in the time with interesting speakers. We will juggle if we run out of things to say. Starting with a blank canvas of 36 hours was pretty daunting, but boy, oh boy, have the doctors and researchers responded with generosity! So far, the speakers include:

- DR. PAOLO ZAMBONI
- DR. SALVATORE SCLAFANI
- DR. GREGORY SOARES
- DR. MICAEL ARATA
- DR. GARY SISKIN
- DR. TODD HARRIS
- DR. TREVOR TUCKER
- DR. DAVID WILLIAMS
- DR. NINA GREWAL
- DR. DIANA DRISCOLL
- DR. JOSEPH HEWETT
- DR. BERNHARD JUURLINK
- DR. MARK HAACKE

Many more invitations are out there, so stay tuned!

Plus, all the time in between these fabulous speakers will be filled in with patients and caregivers on webcams from around the world. We're going to see some great testimonials, rehab stories, triumphs, challenges, and conversations from people we know in our online community and a few new faces.

How can you get involved in this online event? Well, everything is FREE (we are all volunteers!), so all you need to do is sign up to get sent:

- an invitation to be part of the broadcast, with technical requirements and instructions
- an updated speaker schedule so you know when to tune in
- instructions on how to log in as an audience member

Logging in as an audience member gives you the chance to interact with the speakers and other audience members. Most speakers will take questions from the audience, so this is your chance to interact with these CCSVI community members. We also will have draws for prizes, etc. for our audience as we go along.

The sign up link is http://ccsviexpo2011.eventbrite.com

I am so excited and hope you are too! Please spread the link around to get as many people in the MS and CCSVI communities aware of this event and the potential to hear this great line-up of speakers. Send this to your extended networks (doctors, MS Society reps, health care providers, friends, media contacts, politicians, etc.). We already have hundreds signed up, which I expect will be in the thousands by the time the broadcast nears.

We are not accepting sponsors (other than sponsors donating items to raffle or as prizes), so the entire broadcast will be educational and fun, not marketing. Donations are optional and we appreciate every penny!

Thank you so much for helping make the Expo a success!

~Sandra
President, National CCSVI Society