Hello, my name is Matilde Acosta, ISN Support Group Leader for Venezuela. I have been a patient of systemic scleroderma for 9 years.Nowadays I run the Venezuela Scleroderma Association, an organization of my inspiration.

I wanted to do something sinceI could identify with the loneliness that a patient feels when they know their diagnosis, when they find out that there is no cure, and see that some doctors have no interest in working with them since they are a minority and there is no specific medication for their illness. This leads them to depression, and the impotence someone experiences when they feel there is nothing else they can do.

I followed the Argentinian Association's lead, and I started helping patients, giving them solace and a helping hand, like they have helped me, by means of the webpage http://groups.msn.com/esclerodermiavenezuela/. I will soon publish the first magazine which should expand the educational outlook for everybody.