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I'm hesitant to do that, because I don't want anyone to feel pressured into feeling like they have to pay anything to be a member here, or use any of the features. I've given this a lot of thought over the last week or so and have come up with several other ways to help out. That's what is listed at the top of every page here now: Give Back
The first, tentative, list is included below. If you have other suggestions, please post them here and I'll add them to the list.
Ways to Give Back... in no particular order:
- Participate on the message boards and help support others, especially newcomers. If you see a post with no, or few responses, say something so that the person doesn't feel like they're being ignored. I've noticed that many people here are very good at this
- If you've had successful surgery, stick around to offer hope to those who come after. Far too many cured Cushies leave, and present an unbalanced look of life after Cushing's.
- Add (or update) your bio.
- Attend the chats.
- Offer to talk to others offline.
- Send cards or little notes to others who are hurting - either online, or through snailmail. There are some free eCards available through this site, through Hallmark, Bluemountain, many places. If you don't know someone's email address for an eCard, you can send it to yourself, get the link (URL) when it comes to you and paste that into a PM for the person.
- Add a review of this website.
- Use the "Tell a Friend" links on any page to share it with someone who would be interested.
- Be a board moderator.
- Visit other Cushies in the hospital, or go with them to doctor appointments. Call them when you know that they're "down" - or happy!
- Get some CUSH brochures and pass them out to doctors, Weight Watchers and other similar meetings, people who look Cushie. There are also Cushings-Help business cards available.
- Wear your Cushing's Awareness pin often and tell everyone what it means.
- Participate in the CUSH Register.
- If someone asks how you're doing, explain Cushing's to them, at least a simple version! I've been doing this with my piano students and parents - they're finally getting it!
- Submit your Helpful Doctor info - we need all the good doctors we can get.
- Join CUSH, attend meetings, be involved
- Help Jayne get Cushing's Awareness Day enacted.
- Participate in the Clothes Closet, the book project, the Cookbook project.
- Someday, maybe you'll meet a Cushie without a computer. Offer to print out helpful pages for him/her, or invite her over to check out your computer. Invite him to a local meeting, or give her the toll-free number (877-825-0128} to call for more info.
- Help someone fill out insurance or disability forms.
- Ask someone how you could help them.
- Share your good news - it spreads like wildfire!
- Pray, or send healing thoughts, to those who need them
- Post relevant News Items that may help someone else.
- Help people who ask questions in the InstaChat. Refer them to the boards or other places on the site.
- Use iGive.com when you buy things online; buy books using the links on the book pages; tshirts and such from the giftstore. Then WEAR those tshirts!
- If you see on the Calendar that today is someone's birthday, or surgery anniversary or other special event, please acknowledge that on the boards.
Many thanks to those of you who have sent in donations. They're greatly appreciated!
