Facial Paralysis & Bell's Palsy Foundation

Join us for our first online Facial Paralysis Support Group Meeting on Saturday, November 14th at 10:00 a.m. PST! Our guest presenter will be neuropsychologist Dr. Julia Evans from from the Brain Wellness Institute in California. This meeting is open to all persons dealing with facial paralysis, and is sponsored by Ascend Physical Therapy, our Orange County, California, group host. To join this meeting via Zoom, please register at the following link:... https://us02web.zoom.us//tZwkdeGhrD8rE9Z6MNAWhmuLOgmPjspV3 You will then be sent the Zoom code and instructions to join the meeting. Anyone with a smartphone or computer should be able to access Zoom, and you can choose to show your webcam, or just participate with audio on that day. We are looking forward to connecting with all of our facial paralysis friends again soon!

Here is a new blog post from Dr. Kathleen Bogart on facing job interviews with a facial difference. https://www.psychologytoday.com//facing-job-interviews-whe

New research opportunity! Dr. Kathleen Bogart from Oregon State University is looking for persons with rare diseases, including facial paralysis, to complete a survey on the affect of the Covid19 pandemic on mental health and social support. Please click below to complete this brief survey!... https://oregonstate.qualtrics.com/j/form/SV_3lOr9lBREFvD4QB

Do you have friends, family members or others who would benefit from hearing first-hand what it is like to live with facial paralysis? And be able to ask honest questions without fear of offending someone? Tonight at 5:00 p.m. PST they will have the chance to ask questions and learn from others in the facial paralysis community who are sharing their stories through this online forum, sponsored by comedian Brian Apprille! We hope you will share this link with anyone who wo...uld benefit from this conversation. Thanks for hosting this event, Brian! https://www.facebook.com/brian.apprille/videos/10224015275829270/

Here is a newly published blog post by Australian facial paralysis advocate, Elizabeth Robinson, on the positive power of social media! Elizabeth also manages a Facebook group for persons with facial paralysis, "Facial Paralysis Support Network Australia New Zealand World, " which has been a great resource and source of support for many in our community. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and insight on living with a facial difference, Elizabeth!... https://www.faces-cranio.org//the-positive-power-of-social

Here is a new blog post from Dr. Kathleen Bogart, a psychology professor who also has facial paralysis, on communicating while wearing a mask. Congratulations on your latest endeavor, Kathleen! https://www.psychologytoday.com//facial-paralysis-gave-me-

Please check out the new podcast series from our fellow facial paralysis warrior, comedian Brian Apprille! It features interviews with several of his fellow performers who discuss their comedy, along with their favorite charities. You can find it through his new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/uncommoncomedy/ And if you are still in quarantine and looking for a podcast to binge-watch, then catch up on all 16 episodes of his Unique Smiles podcast, which is about peo...ple like us who are living and thriving with facial paralysis! https://www.facebook.com/uniquesmilespodcast Best of luck Brian!

Wishing everyone a very Happy Mother's Day! Hope you enjoy your day!

We are so excited to support Australia's inaugural Facial Paralysis Awareness Day! It is a day ahead here in Sydney, and we are getting ready for our event in just a few hours! Our traveling makeup bag from Beauty with Paralysis has been out sightseeing, and will later be given as a door prize to one lucky attendee at the event. We hope that you will join with Australia in spirit today, as many persons with facial paralysis will be meeting for the first time. We will share ...photos with you soon! # Let's Face It Together!

Today we would like to highlight the ongoing research that is underway to identify the causes of congenital facial paralysis, which is a facial weakness that is present at birth. Dr. Bryn Webb, from the Icahn Shcool of Medicine at Mount Sinai, is continuing her project to identify genetic (DNA) changes that can lead to this condition. She is still in need of participants for her study, and is seeking to enroll persons who were born with facial paralysis, and even those who ma...y have other family members with this condition. If you are interested in learning more, then please reach out to Dr. Webb directly at: [email protected], or by phone at 212-241-1481. We are pleased to support Dr. Webb in this important project, so if you were born with facial paralysis, please consider participating in this study!

The team at the Facial Nerve Center at OHSU in Portland, Oregon, got in the spirit for Facial Paralysis Awareness Week! The Facial Nerve Center is a team of multi-disciplinary specialists with a passion to help those living with facial paralysis. They also host a quarterly support group meeting, which is headed by local leader Barbara Pasternacki. If you would like to be on the email list for upcoming meetings in Portland, then please send an email to: [email protected]. You can also visit the Facial Nerve Center website for meeting notices, along with information on their center: https://www.ohsu.edu/casey-eye-institute/facial-nerve-center Thank you for providing this much-needed support for persons with facial paralysis in the Pacific Northwest!