So this is Christmas and what have you done?

As we approach the end of the year, we look back on all that we have achieved in 2022. To answer the question of the subject line, we can answer it for you because all that was accomplished in this past year is directly thanks to your incredibly generous contributions.

These donations have allowed us to sponsor the short film LE CLAIR-OBSCURE which tells Alessia Bellino’s journey of recovery from Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis (ANMDAre). We look forward to showing you the film for #World Encephalitis Day on 22 February 2023. The film is in French with English subtitles.

Finally post-pandemic, we once again awarded The Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis Prize in collaboration with the Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation, which recognizes the very best of the new generation of up-and-coming neuro-immunologists.

All the while, we were honoured to support the first-ever clinical trial, #ExTINGUISH, for a new and promising drug to treat anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, #Inebilizumab.

Thanks to your participation in a survey and a questionnaire to determine the usefulness of our newsletter and the questionnaire to determine the best way to raise awareness of anti-NMDAre, we learned a lot, for the benefit of all.

In October, during our last annual Board Meeting, we unanimously decided that we needed to send a brilliant, young Canadian trainee to attend the annual Encephalitis Conference in London, England, November 30-December 1, 2022. We can assure you that our brilliant candidate, Sydney Lee, will go on to do great things for our community of patients. We are so proud of her.

Last but not least, on the literary side, the terrifying and dramatic presentation of ANMDAre, continues to inspire both survivors and caregivers. We were happy to have reviewed the amazing care-giver account, This is not a Pity Memoir by the award-winning British screenwriter, Abi Morgan.

Thank you for your tremendous support throughout the year. We could not have done it without you. There are still three days left in 2022, if you would like to show your support with a donation, at the following link: https://www.antinmdafoundation.org/donate/

Our very best wishes for all that are on this journey, for recovery and healing in 2023. The road is long but there is hope!