38 replies to this topic

[Michelle Sawicki]

A Hello and Goodbye
by Michelle Sawicki

Hello everyone! I am happy to announce DINET's new president! Her name is Rachel Lundy, and I bet many of you already know her. Rachel has served as a moderator and administrator on DINET's forum for many years now. She has had POTS for almost 20 years and is well acquainted with the ups and downs of life with dysautonomia. Her desire is to serve and encourage those affected by dysautonomia and to promote dysautonomia awareness. Rachel has been married to Will for 9 years, and they have two children, William and Adelaide. She loves her role as a stay-at-home wife and mom, and she is enthusiastic about stepping into her new role as DINET president.

I am excited to see DINET continue to grow. I have discussed many of the plans I had for DINET with Rachel. She is working on getting that new website we've been talking about, so it will be brought to fruition. Rachel also has a lot of her own ideas, so look for some new and exciting additions to this organization in the near future.

As for me, I will continue to pursue my masters degree in Library Science. I am working in a law school library now. My health is fantastic! I hope that knowledge will inspire some of you out there who are still struggling; there is hope! I feel so blessed to have my life back and to be able to chase my dreams. As I reflect on the time I suffered with POTS, I now see so many positives the illness brought into my life. For I learned to persevere in a time of great disappointment and struggle. Not only that, I did what I could to fight back and still maintain some control over my dwindling health. I also gained so much knowledge about running a business and filing what I refer to as "the dreaded paperwork." I would have never learned about nonprofit corporations or had enough passion to try to form one had I never developed POTS. There are many other ways POTS actually had a very positive impact in my life. Let me sum them all up by saying that POTS showed me that life as we know it can be so very short. Tomorrow everything you enjoy can be stripped from you. Because of that knowledge, POTS helped me to see that every day is a blessing and that I should never miss an opportunity to develop myself and be the best person I possibly can be. You never know if you'll have an opportunity or chance in this life again. I wish all of you the best of luck and hope that one day you too will look back at this challenging time in your life and see a few positives, but even moreso I hope each of you will be able to look forward and chase your dreams once again. Ironically, I can say the most productive time in my life came when I was dreadfully ill with POTS. So I encourage each of you to not only look toward the future, but to realize all that you are capable of still today...even amiss your struggles with dysautonomia.

Best wishes to all of you!

Michelle Sawicki, former DINET president

[thankful]

Michelle, I can't express how thankful I am that you took it upon yourself to found DINET and to keep it going. You are one of my heroes! I'm sad to see you leave, but happy that you are doing better physically and have a bright future.

Rachel, thank you for taking on the task of running DINET. You have already led by example through your positive attitude in the midst of severe illness. I'm looking forward to the changes you'll be making.

Thank you both for dedicating so much of your lives to helping others with this dysautonomia to be informed, encouraged, and empowered!

[MaryMalta99]

Thank you for all that you have done for all of us and have a wonderful time making your dream come true. Rachel will be so great as president. She is a very inspiring person and is one of the most pleasant people I have had the pleasure to know through the internet!! Blessings to both and thank you both for all that you have done and will be doing. Love, Mary

[songcanary]

I found DINET through a link on Girl from the Ghetto. I will never forget that day. Actual people with the same actual symptoms. I could not read fast enough. I felt like finally, somebody was going to hear me.

Bless you both for your wonderful help. I know I am better in great part because of this site. It helped me to anticipate which tests I might expect and which ones I might politely ask about.

The personal experience from other members has been invaluable, to say the very least. Best wishes to you Michelle, and I hope you continue with good health. DINET is in very good hands indeed. Many cyber hugs to both you and Rachel !

[firewatcher]

Michelle,
Many blessings and MANY thanks for this wonderful site! May you have health and joy!

[ramakentesh]

I told you licorice root was good. Well actually I think you told me about it. LOL - all the best!

[mwise]

Best Wishes, hugs & love to both of you. Thank you Michelle for founding such a great site for us all and Rachel for continuing with it.

[rubytuesday]

A great big thank you, Michelle. Many, many blessings and much successes to you.

[POTSMama]

I'm ever so grateful for this site, and for all that you, Michelle, and Rachel and the other volunteers, have and continue to do. It's made a difference for many of us! I've learned a lot, and even my doctor has read and learned from the site. It's served as great support when I've had periods where I'm doing less well (and sometimes I do better too - yes, there's hope). I know how many thankless hours get spent getting something like this going, and keeping it going, so a big THANK YOU from those of us you've helped so much! Best wishes to you!

[MomtoGiuliana]

Thank you Michelle for your vision and perseverance with DINET. I know the site and forum means a great deal to so many people needing support and information. It's wonderful to have a safe, welcoming forum to serve patients. Not all forums meet the standard that I believe DINET has always upheld and this is so important.

I appreciate all of your thoughts on how POTS impacted you. Much wisdom there.

I'm very excited that Rachel is DINET's new president.

Best wishes to you.

[corina]

michelle, i am very sorry that you're leaving though so happy for you that you've got your life back.
there's so much i want to say to you as i think "thank you" just isn't enough. you and your website have given me SO much that it's hard to express my feelings. i've found lots and lots of info, understanding, loving and caring people and some really special friendships. i've always felt welcome here at the forum though i'm from europe and english isn't my first language and i struggled to find the right words. this forum is and was a safe and welcoming place where people understand, care for eachother and help out. thank you for creating it, it must have been quite challenging at times.

rachel, i'm very thankful that you had the courage to take this website and forums on. it is a huge job but i honestly think you are the right person for it. you are thoughtful, caring and have such a good vision. wishing you all the best in this new job!

Corina

[abbyw]

Although I am somewhat of a newcomer, I am so very grateful for this site. To think that this all started two and a half months ago, With this site's information, I was able to get a diagnosis so quickly. I am so grateful! I could have easily been another one of the many stories I read here about going years without a diagnosis.
Your site has helped me in every aspect - from diagnosis, to Dr. referrals, to information about what helps and what doesn't, to emotional support. This site has taken the fear out of my symptoms.
I can't thank you enough!

[issie]

This site, gives us the courage to continue on with whatever life has thrown our way. It gives us a place to feel accepted, needed and encouraged. I've found a whole lot of strength here and really appreciate that it was here for me. Thank You!

[~Naomi~]

Thank you, Michelle for starting this site. It has been a lifeline for me - a great source for information, support, and even comfort when needed. It's wonderful to hear that you are healed and can move forward to pursue your dreams. Wishing you all the best life has to offer! Thank you, Rachel for taking this on. It means so much to so many people.

[cordelia]

wishing you all things bright and good.