June 25, 2020

Netherlands – SAS digital WPIW 10 week plan

COVID-19 has brought chaos to the world and because of it we had to celebrate the 35 years of Stichting voor Afweerstoornissen digitally, intertwined with WPIW.

SAS normally hosts a family day for its members during WPIW week, but with this year’s worldwide campaign becoming a 10-week observation, we decided to also extend our celebration with all sorts of events connecting patients and creating awareness for the extended WPIW period.

Amid the pandemic, our regular treatments and living in a lockdown and all its problems (fear, hoarding of food and medication etc) we prepare a nice pack of giveaways for our members (gadgets, souvenirs and a translated information booklet on coping with being a parent of a teenager with a chronic illness written by Dr Lotte Denning) and launched a series of events to connect and engage our members:

Week 1: Sow and grow together (plant flower seeds)

Week 2: Plotting PID patients in the Netherlands (take a picture of yourself at the sign of your village/city

Week 3: Ladies Day. Mothers of -, partners of -, children of -, people with relative with PID. Online baking session (zebra cake) and a workshop about emotions

Week 4: Youngster online weekend. Participants received a package with drinks and snacks and joined in on 3 days setting with online games, fun, discussions and a challenge.

Week 5: Specialists in the picture. With prominent Dutch specialists (mainly immunologists) in a vlog about their work. Our medical advisory board answered questions that our members can submit.

Week 6: Make a card or drawing for a blood donor. In partnership with Sanquin who would distribute the thank you cards on International blood donor day (in observance of lockdown rules)

Week 7: Online SAS bingo

Week 8: Promotion for a blood or plasma donor. Hang the poster up in your kitchen window. Promote being a blood donor.

Week 9: Surprise action. A mini online webinar where some of our specialists from week 5 to discuss COVID-19 and PID, the effect of COVID-19 on our plasma medication and answer any related questions.

Week 10: Festive closing of the 10 week WPIW actions.

Please check out our enclosed video highlighting some of the actions that have already taken place and find all details on our Facebook and website stichtingvoorafweerstoornissen.nl