On a warm Sunday afternoon, 120 Immunology patients and their families came to the West Midlands Patient Day held at the Crowne Plaza NEC hotel in Birmingham. PID and HAE patients from all over the region joined in small group discussions and listened to talks.

Medical and scientific staff updated the audience on the changes in Immunology treatments and services, travelling and living with immunodeficiency and Immunology research in Birmingham. A highlight of the day was a talk from a patient, Tom Peel, who described how he was able to spend 6 weeks in the Borneo jungle despite suffering from immunodeficiency. The clear message was “don’t let your condition stop you doing what you want to do”.

Representatives from national patient support groups PID-UK and HAE-UK were also on hand to help advise and inform the attendees.

The meeting also launched the new West Midlands Immunology Group, a local support group for patients attending Immunology departments throughout the region. Their website www.wmig.co.uk and email contact info@wmig.co.uk will hopefully form the basis of a growing mutual support network.

A full report of the meeting will be posted on this site soon.