David Lange passes away

I just read that David Lange, a former prime minister of New Zealand, passed away over the weekend. David is one of growing number of high-profile figures who have/had been diagnosed with amyloidosis.

At the Boston Support group meeting on Saturday, one of the patient's wives told the story about how she worked at a newspaper. When her husband was diagnosed with this disease, she tried to persuade the paper to publish a story about this rare disease. The conclusion brought up was that unfortunately such a story would not be presented as news-worthy until a public figure or "somebody famous" was reported to have the disease. Only when these types of events are reported would a story catch the public eye.

As an amyloidosis patient, this can be depressing, as it is important to notify the public about a disease for many reasons. First, publicity educates the public and makes the them aware about amyloid. They may look at their symptoms and ask their doctors, who in turn learn more about the disease. Second, bringing this disease out in a public forum could stimulate conversation between people, and new connections and relationship between patients could be made. Finally, public awareness spurs interest in hosting charity events and finding a cure. For example, there are more resources in this country to curing AIDS or cancer than lymphoma or myeloma.

Rest in peace, David.