HEA Folks Interviewed for "The Dr. Oz Show"

—9/23/09

Tiger Devore, psychotherapist, sex therapist, and popular speaker at the Pittsburgh Conference, and Betsy Morgan, parent and long-time HEA leader, were interviewed on disorders of sexual development for "The Dr. Oz Show" today. Our organization and website were mentioned in the interviews.

The producers of the show expressed some interest in having a future show devoted solely to hypospadias.

Information about broadcast scheduling will appear here when we know more.

2010 HEA Conference/Retreat

We're starting the planning for the 2010 HEA Conference, which will be a Conference and Retreat. We're thinking that this time we'll make it much more informal, with more time for discussions and sharing among attendees and many fewer medical-oriented lectures.

The event is tentatively scheduled for April 2010 to take place in a not-yet-disclosed state. Hint: The state may look like this:

Stay tuned for updates!

2009 HEA/ABC Conference

Did you attend the 2009 HEA Conference in Pittsburgh? Please send me an email telling me that you attended. I need to make certain that my attendee list is complete, since attendees got an HEA membership when they registered for the conference. While you're at it, please send me any photos you took, recordings you made, or stories/journal entries you wrote.

We're trying to get some video and/or audio of the conference up on the web site. We'll let you know when it's up.

Third Annual HEA Open House and
All-Day Chat

We are currently planning the next HEA Open House/All-Day Chat, tentatively scheduled for January, 2010. Suggestions for topics for the chat sessions would be appreciated. Please send your topic suggestions to the HEA Webmaster. If you would like to volunteer to lead a chat session, or if you would like to nominate someone to lead a session, please let us know.

Possible topics: Finding a urologist, finding a therapist, long term results of surgery, female issues, penis size, privacy vs. keeping secrets, what is normal and does surgery ever result in normalcy?, incontinence, epispadias, a session for people in Asia, a session for people in Africa, a session for people in Europe, a session for people in South America, helping your child feel good about being different, what should parents tell teachers, camp staff, child's friends' parents, coaches, etc.

Membership Drive

As of 10/19/09, 73 people become HEA members or renewed their memberships. An additional 22 people have made donations and 16 people have signed up to be members but have yet to pay their dues.

Please consider joining. You can join for as little as $3 US a month, using PayPal. Go here to sign up!

You can support HEA in other ways: by volunteering, putting up our flyers around your town, shopping through the GoodShop shopping portal, using Orbitz or Hotwire to book your travel arrangements, shopping at Amazon.com, contributing to the newsletter, helping us put together fact sheets and brochures, or donating something for our eBay auction. Go here to find out about these support opportunities.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Why Are We Asking for Fund Raising Help?

To insure that we keep our nonprofit status, we have had to move our organization's incorporation documentation from Colorado (where HEA started) to New York City (where the office is now located). This move has meant we have a hefty legal and accounting bill to pay off.

 

Jim's 2009 HEA Walk

Jim Lake, HEA's Treasurer, raised nearly $1,000 for HEA by walking 10 miles on the first Saturday in May. Next year, I'll be out walking too. Can you join us?

 

Night of a Thousand Meatballs

Do you have a few friends you'd like to invite over to your house or to join you at a restaurant? You can have a nice dinner with your friends and also raise some funds for HEA. Ask them to make a donation of whatever amount feels comfortable (or, if you're eating at a restaurant, ask for a donation in addition to the meal price).

We're suggesting a menu of spaghetti and meatballs, but serve what you think best.

Think about it: all over the world people will be joining together for a good meal and good conversation for a good cause.

HEA members have so far had 2 such dinners and raised over $1300! Please consider having a dinner, too.

Go here for more details. And thanks!

Other News

The Third World Congress on Hypospadias and Disorders of Sexual Development

Sponsored by the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada and ISHID (International Society on Hypospadias and Intersex Disorders)

November 12-15, 2009
Toronto, Canada

This is the first time the Congress will take place in North America
Go here to register.