Posted at 1:30 PM
And now for a word from the blogger...
I woke up this morning around 3:00 a.m. and knew I needed to sleep if I was going to blog for 24 hours starting at 9 a.m. I couldn't force myself back to sleep, though! I will need some sleep at some point. Luckily, I can usually nap for ten minutes and wake up refreshed.

Marfan is a part of life for those of us with the syndrome. For some people, it's a big part of their lives; for others, it's a smaller part. While my symptoms are (so far) quite mild compared to some, I try to stay active in the Marfan community because I am aware of the condition (having been born with it) and because I have gotten to know -- through the Internet -- a lot of people who have worse symptoms than I have and parents whose children have been diagnosed with the disorder. Having grown up with the disorder, I never thought about what it would be like to have a child diagnosed with a potentially lethal disorder. There were plenty of times when I yelled, "I wish I'd never been born!" in frustration and anger, but I got over that phase, as most teens (Marfan or not) do. I want to reassure parents that if their child has Marfan, it does not mean their child's life will be completely full of misery. Marfan isn't the only thing that makes us who we are.

Throughout the day, I plan to blog some links to pages that may have nothing to do with the Marfan syndrome, but that are just fun or interesting. I thank my friend Todd for his help in locating links such as

Stupid News Headlines!

Todd does not have the Marfan syndrome -- he's just a friend who finds good links. Todd's father was recently diagnosed with kidney cancer, so I want to include a link to Dealing, from the Kidney Cancer Association. As it says on the Dealing page, "Successful patients can learn about their disease and how to use the health care system to get the best care. Information empowers people." This applies to any disorder or disease you may encounter.
Thanks, Todd, and good luck to your father!