NEW! NOW FORMING: MYELODYSPLASTIC SYNDROMES
PATIENT & FAMILY SUPPORT GROUPS.  WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN A LOCAL SUPPORT GROUP IN YOUR AREA?

The MDS Foundation has developed a strategy for setting up patient groups and assistance is now available to organize support groups for MDS patients. Any member of the Foundation, patients, friends, family members, and caregivers are invited to join with us to move this project forward. Would you be interested in joining a few other people to help start a needed support group for MDS in your area?

Existing Support Groups United States

• Chicago, Illinois MDS Support Group meets on the fourth Tuesday of the month from 1:30-3:00 pm at Northwest Community Hospital’s Cancer Service department (lower level), 800 W. Central Road, Arlington Heights, Illinois. Contact Kim Jensen at kjensen@nch.org or call 847.618.6914.
• Lakeland, Florida MDS Support Group will meet on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the home of Dave and Vivian Paul, 1325 Valley Hill Drive, Lakeland, FL 33813.  Contact Vivian Paul at 863.698.5137.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MDS Support Group had their inaugural meeting on March 3rd, 2012.  The topic was “The Risks of Transfusional Iron Overload”.  Watch the video here.
• Southern California MDS Support Group meets on the third Saturday of the month at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church, 609 Pier View Way, Oceanside, CA 92054 at 2:30 PM.  Contact Susan Urban susanurb@gmail.com or call 760.438.5130  socalmds.org
• Stanford Cancer Center MDS Patient & Family Support Group meets the third Monday of the month from 6:30-8:00 pm at the Stanford Cancer Center, 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Palo Alto, California, 2nd Floor Conference Room CC2105. Contact Group Leader, Lenn Fechter, RN, BSN at 650.725.0744.

International 

• Brazil: ABRALE — http://www.abrale.org.br/
• Canada: Hamilton, Ontario MDS Support Group. Contact William Pearson at william.pearson@sympatico.ca or call 905.561.6999
• Canada: Toronto, Ontario MDS Support Group. Meetings are held every three months at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2737 Bayview Avenue, North York 10:00 am-12:00 pm.  Contact Cindy Murray at 416.946.4501 Ext. 5919 or email cindy.murray@uhn.ca.
• Czech Republic: Sdruzeni MDS — http://www.diagnoza-mds.cz/
• Denmark: http://www.mds-and-you.info/; LYLE — http://www.cancer.dk/lyle/
• France: Association Connaître et Combattre les Myélodysplasies —  http://asso.orpha.net/CCM/
• Germany: Leukaemie Hilfe Rhein-Main — http://www.leukaemiehilfe-rhein-main.de/
• Italy: AIL (Associazione Italiana contro le leucemie) — http://www.ail.it/
• Japan: MDS Renrakukai — http://www.geocities.jp/mdsrenraku/
• Netherlands — http://www.kankerpatient.nl/leukemie;  —  http://www.leukemie.nfk.nl/
• Romania:
• Spain: AEAL (Asociación Linfoma Mieloma y Leucemia)  —  http://www.aeal.es/
• Sweden: Blodcancer Forbundet  — http://www.blodcancerforbundet.se/
• United Kingdom: UK MDS Patient Support Group  — http://www.mdspatientsupport.org.uk/

NEW – Click here to access translated versions of our patient handbooks!