OTTAWA – February 13, 2020 – The Acromegaly Ottawa Awareness & Support Network (AOASN) is hosting a photography exhibit called “Light of Day” on Tuesday, March 3rd , 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Shenkman Arts Centre in Orleans. The inspiring portraits shine light on how patients of the rare disease acromegaly experience and overcome a condition of which most people are unaware.
Media and the public are invited to attend this vernissage event, free of charge, to meet and speak with patients and AOASN members, as well as the Montréal-based photographer behind the project Santino Matrundola.
The AOASN hopes the exhibit, running March 3 to 22, will raise awareness and understanding of this disease and reach patients who may be suffering in isolation.
What is acromegaly?
Acromegaly is a rare, serious condition most commonly caused by a non-cancerous tumour on the pituitary gland which causes it to over-produce growth hormone. This results in symptoms like the enlargement of internal organs, hands, feet, and jaw, and other conditions like diabetes.
About the Acromegaly Ottawa Awareness & Support Network
The AOASN is a registered non-profit organization that promotes awareness about this rare, life-changing diagnosis, unites patients and their families, as well as advocates for patients’ rights and swift diagnosis. It was founded in 2018 by Ottawa resident Dianne Sauvé, an acromegaly patient herself, after realizing that local resources for this disease were almost non-existent.
The group’s main objective is to foster camaraderie and support among Acromegaly patients and those who support them, and raise public awareness of Acromegaly through education and advocacy.
Since its founding in 2018, the AOASN’s Facebook group has grown to 65 members, many of whom had never met another person with the same diagnosis. In the closed group, patients and their friends and families can discuss their experiences and share information and resources. The public Facebook page promotes their advocacy activities, events, and news, and can be followed by anyone.
Media contact
Angie Sauvé
613-868-8299
Acromegaly Ottawa 