/24-7PressRelease/ - ROCKVILLE, MD, April 10, 2008 - Hoping to raise awareness of this little-known autoimmune disease, Danielle shared her story with viewers in a two-part series which recently aired on the TV station. "The reaction to this series was overwhelming. The station received numerous calls and emails from viewers thanking us for bringing this disease to the forefront," said Danielle.
Also featured in the series was Dorothy Mortimore, an ITP patient living in the Casper area. Danielle met Dorothy with the help of the Platelet Disorder Support Association. "I especially want to thank PDSA for putting me in touch with Dorothy and for their support and information in helping me develop this story," added Danielle.
While Dorothy shared the emotional challenges associated with ITP, Danielle explained the medical aspects of the disease and gave viewers an up-close and personal look at her own surgery - a laparoscopic splenectomy.
The news video featuring Dorothy and Danielle can be found in the new Media section on the PDSA Web site at http://www.pdsa.org.
About ITP
ITP, immune (idiopathic) thrombocytopenic purpura, is an autoimmune disease. In autoimmune diseases, the body mounts an immune attack toward one or more seemingly normal organ systems. In ITP, platelets are the target. They are marked as foreign by the immune system and eliminated in the spleen and sometimes, the liver. In addition to increased platelet destruction, some people with ITP also have impaired platelet production. Without a sufficient number of platelets, a person with ITP is subject to spontaneous bleeding or bruising.
About PDSA
The Platelet Disorder Support Association is dedicated to enhancing the lives of people with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) and other platelet disorders through education, advocacy and research. For more information, please contact us at 1-87-PLATELET or visit our Web site at http://www.pdsa.org.
Contact: Caroline Kruse
(877) 528-3538
ckruse@pdsa.org
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