Living abroad has many advantages and joys, but when you, a loved one or friend, falls ill, it is especially difficult, despite email and Skype, to keep in touch with all those family members and friends who would like to stay informed of your, or their, health circumstances. A few years ago, two different website were established to enable us to do that, as well as providing other useful and important information and links.
CaringBridge is a "free, personalized website that supports and connects loved ones during critical illness, treatment and recovery." It was established in 1997 by Sona Mehring and a few friends to keep the family and friends of a close friend informed about the critical condition of both the friend and her premature baby. The site allowed "family members to communicate information to a wide circle of people without disturbing the mother's need for rest or placing additional demands [on her family] and hospital staff. Visitors to the site's guestbook were able to send the family messages of love and encouragement."
Sadly, the baby died after just nine days, but the website enables the family to convey the news without having to make innumerable phone calls, and they were able to post a final message to honor the baby and their supportive online community.
From the outpouring of loving messages to the family, they understood that other patients and families dealing with similar situations or other critical illness would benefit from the same web resources. "A memorial fund enabled Children's Hospital in St. Paul, MN, to dedicate a computer and Internet access for patients and families wishing to create their own online communities." The result was CaringBridge.
CaringBridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit web service that has served 100,000 families who have created free, personalized websites, including guest books and photo albums. Over half a billion visits to their sites have been made by families and friends. Over 15 million guestbook messages of hope and encouragement have been sent, and over 100 new personal communities are created daily to serve more than 40 countries around the world.
Since it was founded, other life-changing events beside critical illness have been added, including military deployment, war injury, and international adoption. In June of this year a new feature was added called CDCs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Families can "access extensive online medical libraries to better understand and care for loves ones facing serious medical conditions or injuries.
A personal FAWCO note is that CaringBridge enabled many FAWCO members and friends of president Celeste Brown and webmaster Alice Grevet to share information and words of encouragement during the past several months regarding their own, or a loved one's, health crisis. Anyone who wishes to make make a donation to the site in Celeste's honor, or that of Dan Little, Alice's father.
As the website states: "It's easy. It's fast. It's free. It's personal. It's powerful." Go to http://www.caringbridge.org/ to create a website or make a donation.
CareFlash, a similar site to keep family and friends informed during a health crisis, was established by Jay Drayer after the extended illness of his father-in-law and his personal involvement in the 9/11 tragedies, to which he was an eyewitness. In the words of is homepage, "CareFlash provides a common place on the Internet to and from which people may submit, retrieve, and share information and well-wishes surrounding a loved one's health circumstances. In addition, available are hundreds of 3-D healthcare animations on disorders, procedures and anatomical function. The animations are available in English, Spanish and Arabic, and will eventually be available in other languages as well.
CareFlash is also free, due to the sponsorship of select industries and/or organizations, such as the Alzheimer's Association, Children's Cancer Hospital, Children's Hospice International, and others, whose own websites can be accessed by clicking on their icon on CareFlash's site.
For more information, go to www.careflash.com .
