News and Events News Archive

2002 National Conference: On the Scene

At the 2002 National Conference in Orlando, August 9-11, Psoriasis Foundation staff interviewed people about their experiences. Here, in their own words, five attendees describe what the conference meant to them.

	Travis Scroggin, 29, Lincoln, Ill. "This is my first conference. I enjoyed it. I got a lot more information than I needed. I needed to know more about medicine out there, about what's being done to get a cure for this. It was nice socializing with other people who have the same problems. I liked the It Works for Me session the best. I had a great time."
	Barbie Bobo, 50, Tallahasee, Fla. "My experiences have been great. I enjoyed all of the sessions that I went to. I am very interested in biologics because I get sick on methotrexate. Topical steroids hardly work for me anymore and I'm really excited and really have hope from this conference for the first time in 10 years."
	Diane Shaw, 41, Bradenton, Fla. Before I came here I only knew one other person that had psoriasis, and it was my dad. To be able to see so many other people that have it and know what they're going through and I'm going through, it's been great. Hopefully someday there'll be a cure or something that will get rid of it for a lot longer."
	Beth Fiedor, 40, Comstock Park, Mich. "It was nice to meet people who have psoriasis. I know no one in Grand Rapids with psoriasis. It was my first time for a conference. I learned new information about Enbrel--I just developed psoriatic arthritis in my thumb, and I didn't know all the current therapies they are using for that."
	Lynn Chia, 30, Washington, D.C. "Having a mix of lifestyle workshops and therapeutic workshops was also very important to me because of the two reasons I came here. One, most important, was to learn about the new drug therapies and two, just to find community. I felt I was able to do that based on the activities that were here."