Brain Injuries (Charlotte and surrouding areas)

Project STAR sponsors or is associated with a wide range of support groups for people with brain injuries, for their spouses, and for families in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties.  For details, call Sally at 704/355-2620 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or call Charlotte Institute of Rehabilitation at 704/355-1502 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Click for overview of Brain Injury or Brain Tumor resources)

A new group forming for younger survivors (children and adults) of stroke or traumatic brain injury, their friends, family, and caretakers.  The group is generally going to be focusing on issues of those younger than 65, but anyone of any age who wants to concentrate on those issues is welcome.  In addition to sharing mutual support, the group will be dealing with issues such as rehabilitation equipment, job readiness, mental health services, continuing education, mobility, alternative communication devices, parenting, etc.  For details, click here to see their new web site, click here to e-mail her a leader of the group, or call her at 336/455-3540 (she's in Charlotte--it's her cell) Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Be sure to contact them now; they are holding kickoff meetings at a variety of locations around Charlotte throughout September, 2009.

Brain Tumors

Brain Tumor Support Group       (1417,769)

This professionally facilitated group provided mutual emotional support and helpful medical information for adults with any brain tumor and their families and friends.  This group grew out of the experience of a wonderful woman whose husband died from a glioblastoma. The group is currently dormant because of low attendance.  To learn more, call a leader of the group at the Buddy Kemp Caring House of Presbyterian Hospital Cancer Center at 384-5223 Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Click for overview of Brain Injury or Brain Tumor resources)

Until 1997 there was a group in Charlotte for people with pituitary disorders.  It stopped meeting for lack of attendance.  Two of the more common disorders (acromegaly & Cushing's Disease) are included, but all types of pituitary disorders are addressed.  If you have a pituitary disorder, or have a desire to participate in the group should it restart, please call the previous group leader at 375-7857 anyday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Click for overview of Brain Injury or Brain Tumor resources)

The Humpty Dumpty Group (2001) (1322, 769)

This service provides comprehensive data and referral assistance for nonprofit and government resources in the NC counties of Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, and Anson counties and in or near the city of Mooresville, NC.  If you are calling on a landline or residential phone in one of those counties, dial 2-1-1.  If that fails, if you are calling on a cell phone, or if you are calling from anywhere else in NC, call 866/744-7778.  For calls from out of NC, use their local number of 704/377-1100. Although they are open 24 hours a day, you may wish to call weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for non-emergency questions.

The friendly staff at this full service library can help you research any medical topic using their up-to-date computers, databases, journals and books.  No previous research experience or medical knowledge is required. Click here for details or call them at 704-384-6393.

MedLinePlus

This service of the National Library of Medicine of the National Institutes of Health is one of the better one-stop shops for beginning your search on the internet for medical information.  For those of you who live in Mecklenburg and Union counties in NC, we recommend that you contact the Health Library for more personal assistance from the experts there in searching for reliable medical information. Click here for their details.

Click to link to any of these lists of national groups: 

The Self-Help Sourcebook OnLine Index
The Genetic Alliance
NORD (National Organization for Rare Diseases) Database

Click here to branch to the American Self-Help Clearinghouse listing of toll-free phone numbers for a wide variety of topics.