By Dorothy Vetrano
When I joined TMA a few years ago, I had heard about their annual conferences, but I was reluctant to attend. Maybe it was because I thought I could handle my diagnosis on my own. Or maybe I was afraid—afraid of meeting others with the same disease and hearing about their struggles. I already had the support from family, friends, and great doctors. What more could I possibly gain?
Turns out a lot.
As soon as registration opened for the 2025 MyoCon Conference in Dallas, I signed up. The schedule was packed with breakout sessions and exhibitors over three days. But as a first-time attendee, I started to feel overwhelmed and worried I wouldn’t get the most out of the experience if I didn’t have a plan.
Then, a few weeks later, I received a welcome email introducing the Conference Buddy Program. This program pairs first time attendees with experienced ones. The buddy’s role is to welcome you, answer questions, share tips, and offer support along the way. It was exactly what I needed, and I immediately signed up.
My buddy, Marilyn McGrath, gave me a wonderful experience I’ll never forget.
Before the conference, we met virtually to put a name to a face and get to know each other. We discovered we had so much in common: both of us live with DM, we’re originally from New York (she still lives there), we love hosting dinners for our families, and both of us enjoy meeting new people.
Marilyn shared some incredibly helpful tips that made all the difference to my first conference:
- Pace yourself – Participate as much as you can but understand it’s impossible to attend everything.
- Care partner support – Have your care partner attend a session that overlaps with one you are interested in.
- Conference is recorded – Missed a session? No problem; it’s all recorded. And all attendees automatically receive the recordings package.
- Rest – Listen to your body and take breaks.
- Make connections – Meet people, share contacts, and build your support network.
- Bring snacks.
Marilyn was knowledgeable, encouraging, and down to earth. We shared meals and sessions, and I learned more about her personal journey: the ups and downs, treatments that worked (and didn’t), and how she persevered. She never gave up and came out stronger. Her story gave me hope. And there is hope—for all of us.
So whether you’re a first-time attendee or a seasoned veteran, I highly recommend signing up for TMA’s Conference Buddy Program. It will make your experience so much more meaningful, more personal, and more connected.
And finally, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a huge shoutout to Marilyn’s amazing husband, Ed. What a firecracker! His passion for TMA and for the love of his life is absolutely contagious.
I hope to see them both again in St. Louis, if not sooner.
Dorothy Vetrano was diagnosed with DM in 2021. She lives in Houston, TX with her loving and supportive husband and two four-legged babies. She’s a teacher of students with visual impairments with more than 32 years of experience working with the blind and visually impaired.