Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation

Graves’ Disease and Thyroid Foundation
www.gdatf.org
P.O. Box 2793
Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
Phone: 877-643-3123
e-mail: info@ngdf.org

Founded in 1990, the Graves’ Disease Foundation offers support and resources to Graves’ disease patients, their families, and health care professionals. Their mission is to find the cause of and the cure for Graves’ thyroid disease through research, to improve the quality of life for persons with Graves’ disease and their caregivers and to educate persons with Graves’ disease, their caregivers, healthcare professionals, and the general public about Graves’ disease and its treatment. The web site features a monitored bulletin board.

Bite Me Cancer

Bite Me Cancer
www.bitemecancer.org
10467 White Granite Drive, Suite 300
Oakton, VA 22124
Phone: 703-709-2539
email: customerservice@bitemecancer.org

Our mission is to fight cancer through research, education and inspiration.

Bite Me Cancer was formed as a nonprofit foundation in September, 2010, by Nikki Ferraro, who was 17-years old at the time. Nikki was diagnosed with Sporadic Medullary Thyroid Cancer in April 2010 when she was a junior at Chantilly HS in Virginia. Nikki’s goals for Bite Me Cancer are focused on 2 large projects: (1) is to support teenagers battling all cancers by providing them with Teen Support Bags containing items specifically chosen for teenagers to use and (2) raising research funds and awareness for thyroid cancer.

Bite Me Cancer has shipped over 5,700 bags to 115 hospitals across the United States as of January 2019. With the Bite Me Cancer thyroid cancer research program, the foundation has funded 6 grants through a collaboration with the American Thyroid Association as of January 2019.

Light of Life Foundation

Light of Life Foundation
www.checkyourneck.com
PO Box 163
Manalapan, NJ 07726
Phone: (toll free) 1-877-LOL-NECK (565-6325)
Phone: 609 409-0900
Fax: 609 409-0902
email: info@checkyourneck.com

The Light of Life Foundation, founded in 1997, is a nonprofit organization that strives to improve the quality of life for thyroid cancer patients, educate the public and professionals about thyroid cancer, and promote research and development to improve thyroid cancer care.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.
www.thyca.org
P.O. Box 1545
New York, NY 10159-1545
Phone (toll-free): 877 588-7904
Fax: 630 604-6078
e-mail: thyca@thyca.org

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc., founded in 1995, is an international nonprofit organization, guided by a medical advisory council of renowned thyroid cancer specialists, offering support and information to thyroid cancer survivors, families, and health care professionals worldwide. ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. (ThyCa), through a collaboration with the American Thyroid Association, has provided funding in support of 72.5 special research grants focused on thyroid cancer and medullary thyroid cancer since 2003.

Thyroid Cancer Canada

Thyroid Cancer Canada
www.thyroidcancercanada.org
Phone: 416-487-8267
Fax: 416-487-0601
e-mail: info@thyroidcancercanada.org

Thyroid Cancer Canada is a non-profit organization founded in 2000. The organization works towards creating an environment in which people who are dealing with thyroid cancer, especially the newly diagnosed, are met with support and information. Their goals & objectives include facilitating communication among thyroid cancer patients, providing credible information about the disease, providing emotional support, and assisting thyroid cancer patients with voicing their needs to health care professionals and those who are responsible for health care policy.

Thyroid Federation International

Thyroid Federation International
www.thyroid-federation.org
e-mail: tfi@thyroid-federation.org

Thyroid Federation International (TFI) was established in Toronto in 1995. Thyroid Federation International aims to work for the benefit of those affected by thyroid disorders throughout the world by providing a network of patient support organizations.

American Thyroid Association (ATA)

ATA Headquarters
2000 Duke Street, Suite 300
Alexandria, VA 22314
email: thyroid@thyroid.org

The American Thyroid Association^® (ATA) is dedicated to transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative community. ATA^®is an international professional medical society with over 1,700 members from 70 countries around the world. The ATA^® delivers its mission — transforming thyroid care through clinical excellence, education, scientific discovery and advocacy in a collaborative community — through several key endeavors: the publication of highly regarded professional journals, Thyroid^®, Clinical Thyroidology^®, and VideoEndocrinology™; annual scientific meetings; biennial clinical and research symposia; research grant programs for young investigators; support of online professional, public and patient educational programs; and the development of guidelines for clinical management of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer. The ATA^® promotes thyroid awareness and information through its online Clinical Thyroidology^®for the Public (distributed free of charge to over 12,000 patients and public subscribers) and extensive, authoritative explanations of thyroid disease and thyroid cancer in both English and Spanish. The ATA^® website www.thyroid.org serves as a bonafide clinical resource for patients and the public who look for reliable information on the Internet.

MCT8-AHDS Foundation

MCT8-AHDS Foundation
www.mct8.info
13324 Highway 82
Tahlequah, OK 74464
e-mail: contact@mct8.info

MCT8-AHDS was discovered in 1944 by William Allan, Florance Dudley and Nash Herndon. They have studied a familial intellectual disability with motor abnormalities in boys. Almost half a century later, in 1990, the first genetic mapping was made. MCT8-AHDS was then one of the first genetic syndromes to be mapped. Fourteen years later, in January and October 2004 independently by two researchers , the first connection between the Monocarboxylate transporter 8 (MCT8) and the Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome was made.

MCT8-AHDS Deficiency also known as Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome is a genetic X-link disorder that only affects boys. MCT8 (Monocarboxylate transporter) is the protein product of the SLC16A2 gene and is one of the protein substances located on cell membranes that are responsible for the transport of thyroid hormones into the brain. Thyroid hormones are particularly important to proper brain development during embryo and early childhood stages of a child’s life. Lack of thyroid hormones in the brain during these periods is associated with mental delay. Even though only boys present symptoms and can MCT8-AHDS patients, girls may carry the mutation as well without presenting any symptoms. That is due to the fact that girls have two X chromosomes. If one chromosome is affected, the body may still use the correct copy from the second one.