News

​Statement from the Graves' Disease and Thyroid Foundation (GDATF) on the passing of President George H.W. Bush:

We were saddened to learn of the passing of Pres. George H.W. Bush, and extend our condolences to his family and friends.

With his diagnosis of Graves' disease in 1991, Pres. Bush not only raised the profile of Graves' disease in the public consciousness, but was also an example of how patients can persevere and lead happy, productive, lives. He inspired patients everywhere when he celebrated his 90th birthday with a parachute jump!

He was preceded in death by his wife of 73 years, First Lady Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush - who herself was diagnosed with Graves' disease in 1989 - declined to celebrate her own 90th birthday with a parachute jump, quipping, “I'm too smart to jump out of a perfectly good plane."

Pres. Bush was known as a prolific letter writer. GDATF Founder and Chair Emeritus Nancy Hord Patterson, Ph.D. received a typewritten letter of support from Pres. and Mrs. Bush in 1992. ("We are pleased to lend our names to an organization that has done so much to increase the public awareness of Graves' disease. Thank you for extending to us the opportunity of being involved in this worthy endeavor..."). She has always been thankful for their kindness. 

Thank you to the American Thyroid Association for an excellent meeting in Washington, D.C.! Special thanks to all of the doctors and patients who attended yesterday's public forum.

Next stop: Chicago! Please join us on Sun., October 21 for a free patient seminar presented in conjunction with the 21st Annual Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Conference hosted by ThyCa! Click here for additional details or to RSVP! 

Talk show host Wendy Williams from The Wendy Williams Show recorded a special greeting to kick off the Graves' Disease & Thyroid Foundation's 2018 Patient & Family Conference in San Diego, CA!

On behalf of the GDATF's staff and Board - and all of our conference attendees - a million thanks to Wendy and her team for taking the time to let Graves' patients know that they are not alone!

Click here to watch the video!

We're headed to Washington, DC and Chicago, IL for patient education events in October, and we hope you can join us!

(Updated September 19, 2018) Did you know that the GDATF hosts a moderated Facebook group for patients? The group is closed - which means that the list of members is visible to the public, but group posts and comments can only be viewed by members. In order to join the group, visit our Facebook Page. Select "Groups" - which will be in the same spot as "Photos", "Events", etc.; this will be in a slightly different spot depending on whether you are connecting via mobile or desktop. Select "Join" to join the group; you will then receive a notification message asking if you agree to abide by the group guidelines. Respond "Yes" - and we will approve your memberships as quickly as possible. (Approvals can take up to one business day). For your convenience, a copy of the guidelines is included below...