Paths Crossing – The BETES

There’s this woman who’s path and mine continually cross, more than she actually knows. It involves a whole substory from Spiegeltent (love) in 2006 to ringing in the New Year at La Soiree in 2014 (both were cabaret/vaudeville shows in NYC).  It’s a bizarre story but this woman, Marina, and I keep crossing paths in T1D Land too.  We have friends in common, are sometimes at the same events but never have more than a few minutes to chat (I did get to see her in action once at a JDRF TypeOneNation Summit in Long Island and was intrigued).  I follow her on all sorts of social media platforms (clearly, I’m a stalker), and with all of that said, I am quite disappointed I will not be in NYC this coming weekend to see her work with The BETES Organization.  So instead of trying to describe this myself, Marina sent me some information (she is the Founder, Executive and Artistic Director of The BETES Organization), and I share it with you below:
Our work is about the lived experience of living with chronic illness- the mental health, the emotional well being, and the social. Our programming currently focuses on the Type 1 space.
 
Whatever your story is – coming to understand and express the rewards and hardships of living with a chronic condition, surrounded by community. The act of expression gives validity to our narratives, and strengthens all of our voices, simultaneously helping those who we are surrounded by better understand the patient experience, strengthening communication and building compassion.
 
What we add to the mix is the transformative power of puppetry- suddenly, all of this invisible stuff has form and shape, and we can all see it, talk to it, cry and laugh at it.  Its a powerfully unique creative tool.
 
Our honorary event co-chair is Dr. Henry Anhalt, DO of T1D Exchange
Our honorees are Dr. Jason Baker, M.D. of Marjorie’s Fund and Dr. Barbara Anderson, PhD.
 
The event will hold a 45 minute section of our creative, participatory programming followed by a heated discussion with a leading panel of clinicians, advocates and patients, and will be followed by an award ceremony for our two honorees.
This is in-between a wine reception with a top-notch live jazz trio.
Here are the details:
Event: The Patient Voice 2016: Bridging the #Diabetes Gaps
Date: Sunday March 20, 2016
time: 1:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Location: 417 e. 61st street, Manhattan
3 minute video: http://wi.st/1QpMu08
event registration page: http://bit.ly/PatientVoice
And click HERE for more general information on The Betes.

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