Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe it has already been a month since our 2026 Family Support & Medical Conference. As I’ve reflected on those days together, I keep coming back to just how deeply the experience affected me.

Going into my first conference, I knew what we had worked so hard to create, a meaningful few days for our families and individuals to connect, learn, share, and simply be together. What I could not have fully anticipated was how profoundly I would be impacted by all of you.

I was blown away by this community.

My own experiences with chronic disease and caregiving have shaped who I am and how I approach this work. But being there – having conversations with so many of you, hearing your stories, seeing families connect, and experiencing this community together in one place – changed me. I left feeling incredibly blessed to be part of this community and deeply grateful for the privilege of helping lead it.

Throughout the conference, in sessions and activities like Music Bingo and karaoke to the many conversations and moments in between, I listened and learned. You shared what matters to you, what you need, and where you hope we can go together. Those conversations stay with me and help guide how we move our work forward whether new services and programs to where we hold our regional and annual meetings, and to our priorities in advocacy and research. Your voices matter in shaping what comes next.

I also want to recognize the many people who helped make our time together possible. A special thank you to my incredible staff, Jill and Allie, whose hard work and dedication helped bring every part of this conference to life. Our volunteers who gave so generously of their time, especially those in the Activity Zone, whose support allowed parents and caregivers to participate more fully in sessions knowing their family members were engaged and cared for. Behind the scenes, our technology and logistics teams kept an incredibly complex event moving throughout the weekend. And I am deeply grateful to our sponsors, whose partnership and continued support make it possible for us to bring this community together in such a meaningful way each year. To everyone who played a part – thank you!

If you haven’t already, I hope you’ll take some time to look through the wonderful photos and candid moments that have come in from the conference. And keep an eye on our social media, we’ll continue sharing more memories in the weeks ahead.

We also have two more opportunities to come together this fall. On October 3, we’ll gather in the Chicago area at Great Wolf Lodge Gurnee, followed by our West Coast regional meeting in the Berkeley area at Sonesta Emeryville San Francisco Bay Bridge. I especially hope those who weren’t able to join us for the annual conference will have an opportunity to connect with us at one of these regional gatherings.

Thank you to everyone who attended, shared your experience, offered an idea, asked a question, or simply stopped to introduce yourself. I loved meeting so many individuals and families connected to our community, and you made my first conference an experience I will carry with me for a very long time.

I came away with new ideas, new perspectives, new friendships, and an even deeper understanding of this community. Most of all, I came away grateful – grateful for your openness, your trust, and the opportunity to help lead something so special.

There is much more ahead, and I feel incredibly fortunate to be on this journey with all of you.

With gratitude,