This article is taken from the Winter 2014 issue of LymphLine, the LSN's quarterly newsletter available to all LSN members.
For details of how to become a member, click here.
At the beginning of September, LSN member Cheryl Tierney contacted us to ask if we would consider doing an online challenge for lymphoedema, similar to the infamous ‘ice bucket’ challenge. We were delighted to run with the idea and some very funny ideas were suggested by our Facebook community. A week later ‘Sock it to lymphoedema’ was launched.
The event, which was timed to coincide with the BLS Lymphoedema Awareness Week, asked people with or without lymphoedema, to wear odd socks for a day to show their support, to take a ‘selfie’ photograph and post it online, and to make a text donation to the LSN. Each day the LSN posted the running total and an interesting fact about lymphoedema on our Facebook page and our supporters posted some truly wonderful odd sock photos!
The response was wonderful with posts over the week reaching over 5,000 people each day and on some days, as many as 7,000, not including Tweets, and close to £700 was raised. Thank you to everyone who took part. If you would still like to donate to the ‘Sock it to lymphoedema’ campaign, text your amount to 70070 and quote reference LSNS14.
Editor’s note: The money raised from this challenge will be used to help finance the cost of producing the LSN’s recently updated Advocacy Pack. Yet another way people living with lymphoedema can help each other!
STOP PRESS!!
The LSN is delighted to announce that ‘Sock it to lymphoedema’ was awarded the ‘Best lymphoedema awareness activity award 2014’ at the recent British Lymphology Society conference in Birmingham. The award was made because of the amount of coverage outside the usual ‘lymphoedema’ population that
was achieved, as well as the fundraising and fun aspects of the campaign, underpinned by the serious message. Thank you BLS and all who supported ‘Sock it to lymphoedema’.
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