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Pamela M.  Healthcare Professional & Survivor Pam is currently the Executive Director of the Fibromuscular Dysplasia Society of America (FMDSA). FMDSA is a non‐profit health organization dedicated to improving the lives of those diagnosed with Fibromuscular Dysplasia (FMD) by raising awareness and developing funds to promote research towards new medical treatments and diagnostic tools. In people with FMD, areas of narrowing, called stenosis, may occur as a result of abnormal cell development. If enough narrowing causes a decrease in blood flow through the artery, symptoms may result. Once thought to be a rare disease, it is now thought to be an under diagnosed illness. Pam, an RN from Cleveland Ohio, had a stroke and then, after much frustration and few answers, was diagnosed with FMD. Young, healthy and an avid runner, Pam realized she needed to help others with this little known illness. Soon after, she quit her job as an ER nurse and began to volunteer on a full time bases for FMDSA. Accomplishments include starting an FMD patient registry, being asked to speak on FMD at numerous medical facilities, expanding the medical board, participating in web chats with the Cleveland Clinic, organizing and developing an excellent annual conference and helping to develop four FMD clinics across the US. Her dedication to this organization have made it what it is today; an organization respected in the medical community, an organization searching for and finding those much needed answers and most important of all, an organization giving FMD patients a voice. |
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