A life-threatening or life-altering diagnosis can be difficult to accept. The daily struggles after acceptance can still be overwhelming. Support can make a great difference in the lives of patients. Support can be found in many places, in many forms.

Friends and Family

Your most important line of support can be found at home. Family and friends will be your first line of help in every day needs. Though they many not experience the things you do personally, the famly and friends that love you will always be there for you. Do not hesitate to call on them for help. Help educate them about antiphospholipid syndrome and tell them what your needs may be. They can not be expected to know how you feel and what your limits are if you do not tell them. We all have bad days, and even weeks, so let them know that you may need help with tasks during those times. Communication is important to receiving the support you need from your family. Loving friends and family will listen when you need to vent your frustrations or mourn the losses that resulted from the changes in your life.

Local Support Groups

The American APS Association is working to make available local support groups in your area. We bellieve that there is a special bond between APS patients from the moment they meet. There is nothing like being with someone that shares this diagnosis to make you feel more "normal." While our friends and family are great support, there are times that you need to speak with others who truly understand what you are going through.

A local support group may meet once a month at a coffee shop just for friendship and conversation. They may also have guest speaker from medical professionals for question and answer sessions. The AAPSA encourages grassroots efforts. Local support groups will have our support if they would like to plan awareness events or other activities.

If you have not seen information on the calendar about a group in your area, please feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to volunteer to be the contact person for your area.

Online Support Groups

In the dark of the night, when your friends and family are sleeping, you may need support. Online support groups are a great meeting place at any time of the night or day. Other APS patients are a great system of support no matter where in the world they may be. Many keep a data base of medical journal articles and research reports, but their most valuable resource is personal experiences of so many around the world. These are some of the online groups we have found.

A patient-run online forum for APS patients, their friends and family in the USA - http://hughes-aps.forumotion.com

The Hughes Syndrome Foundation members of London offer support at http://z10.invisionfree.com/Hughes_APS_Support/index.php

A patient-run yahoo group can be found at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/aplsuk

The American APS Association will consider an online support group at a later date.