Wishbone Day, is an international event that’s sole purpose is to raise awareness for Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), or as it is more commonly known ‘brittle bones’. Wishbone Day is held on the 6th May and people from around the globe are asked to go YELLOW.
OI is a genetic condition that can be passed on from parents or can be caused by a spontaneous genetic mutation. People with OI have bones that break or fracture easily; often from little or no apparent cause due to the genetic mutation that affects the body’s production of collagen.
Gemma Turner, 19, is Leeds University Student who has OI and has had over 200 fractures since birth. She says that having OI isn’t always easy: “The worst part of having OI is obviously breaking bones, not just the pain but also the fact that you lose your independence and have to rely on others to help.”
However there are plenty of reasons as to why OI isn’t as bad as you might think, the positives often outweigh any negatives: “The best part of having OI is the people you meet that also have or are connected with OI. They feel like they are part of your family as we can relate to each other in so many ways that no one without OI can experience. I also feel like I appreciate the small things in life due to OI and have different priorities to other people I know around me.”
She is doing a day of sponsored silence on the 4th May for Wishbone Day and she’s already raised more than £100! She chose to do this because: “I decided to do the sponsored silence because the people that know me know that this is a hard challenge for me! I just love to talk. I can’t do physical challenges that people usually do to raise money so I wanted to do my own personal version.”
The condition varies from person to person and is identified by the different OI types; a person could have anything from a few fractures or hundreds in a lifetime. Alongside the frequent fractures, muscle weakness, hearing loss, fatigue, joint laxity, curved bones, scoliosis (curvature of the spine) and brittle teeth are all characteristics of OI. There is no cure for OI but Bisphosphonates are being increasingly used to increase bone mass and help reduce fractures.
Having a fracture is one of the inevitable parts of the condition and having had her fair share of them Gemma is now an old hand at it but the pain never gets any easier. “Having a fracture does dramatically affect my daily living; however it does depend on what I have broken. For example, a femur break is the break that is the worst for me. Due to the fact I cannot walk anyway this break; this limits my movement to very little and can mean that I cannot get in my electric chair for weeks. A rib break however, lasts only 1-2 weeks which means it affects me less.”
The concept for Wishbone day came about after a discussion at the Australian OI conference in 2008 and since then the day has gathered momentum and is now an international community effort that raises positive awareness of OI by acknowledging all the things that people with OI achieve.
“Wishbone day is a positive event for people with OI to not only achieve raising money for their own charity but it also raises awareness for people that have no idea what the condition is and how affect their everyday lives.”
“The money that is raised then allows all people with the condition to get together and share their stories. Especially for families that are just learning about the condition themselves and can gain knowledge from others.”
“I hope that in the future, Wishbone day becomes a globally known charity day and is as popular as other charities such as sport relief and red nose day. This will hopefully allow The Brittle Bone society to increase their support to children/adults with Brittle Bones and result in further medical research which may lead to children and adults gaining independence.”
Maria Clarke the European Liaison said that people can get involved in various ways: “People can celebrate by wearing yellow and the Wishbone Day phrase and organisations are invited to express Wishbone Day in their own way. Each expression will be a unique contribution to this worldwide community awareness effort.”
The Brittle Bone Society supports people within the UK are fully backing Wishbone day. Jill Murdoch the Society’s Support Worker: “This is only the 3rd year of Wishbone Day but it has been growing each year but last year we had 8 events across the country which raised awareness and much needed funds of more than £1300. We are expecting many more events and much more funds this year.””
Wishbone Day isn’t about fund-raising but there are plenty of events taking place around the UK that will raise both awareness and money for the Society. “There will be a lot of fundraising events happening across the UK. Several schools are doing fundraising events around Wishbone Day but we have many other events happening including a Picnic in the Park in Perth, in Wales Alan Ford is climbing Mount Snowdon on Crutches and in England a 7 year old girl is swimming a mile.”
It’s as simple are wearing a yellow t-shirt but raising awareness is an invaluable exercise and anyone can do it!
“We really hope that as many people as possible take part in what should be a fun day to raise awareness of OI around the country.”
Will you go yellow on May 6th?
Here’s how to get involved.
Wishbone Day: http://www.wishboneday.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/WishboneDay
The Brittle Bone Society: http://www.brittlebone.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/BrittleBoneUK
Gemma’s sponsored Silence: https://www.justgiving.com/Gem-Turner
Tags: awareness., brittle bones, brittle bones socitey, wear yellow, wishbone day
Becky Whitworth
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