{"id":9,"date":"2023-04-20T13:56:31","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T13:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/?page_id=9"},"modified":"2025-03-04T11:46:02","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T11:46:02","slug":"welcome-members","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding support for Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome? Connect with people like you."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png\" alt=\"A welcome banner for Sjogren's Syndrome Support community featuring a group of hands symbolizing unity\" class=\"wp-image-114\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png 720w, https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens-300x125.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome Support<\/strong>&nbsp;is an online patient support community that is powered by&nbsp;<em><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bensfriends.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">BensFriends.org<\/a>,<\/strong><\/em>&nbsp;a network of patient support communities for rare diseases. Our mission at&nbsp;<em>Ben\u2019s Friends&nbsp;<\/em>is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sjogren\u2019s Syndrome is an autoimmune disease. Autoimmune diseases feature the abnormal production of extra antibodies in the blood directed against various tissues of the body, which tends to lead to inflammation. The hallmark symptom of Sjogren\u2019s syndrome is generalized dryness, typically xerostomia (dry mouth) and keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eyes), known as sicca symptoms. Sjogren\u2019s syndrome may cause skin, nose and vaginal dryness and may affect other organs of the body, including the kidneys, blood vessels, lungs, liver, pancreas, peripheral nervous system or brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connect with other patients and visit <a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome Support Community.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>SjogrensSyndromeSupport.org is a virtual peer-to-peer community intended to be a safe place for patients and family members as young as age 12, to visit for information, discussion, venting and mutual support. Members come from many backgrounds. Some have a strong religious faith, and others no faith; some are children and others adults, rich and poor, graduate educated or taught by life. Our common denominators are that we share a life journey, and we try to help each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/welcome-members-of-sjogrens-syndrome-support\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rare Disease Patient Communities by BensFriends.org\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YBeRFnJkleU?list=PLho5Q53hrd4arNr-uM9ToVKSo09Lvg8Cx\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color\"><strong>How is Ben\u2019s Friends Different from Social Media and Other Support Sites?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Our mission at Ben\u2019s Friends is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re interested in you as a person, and in your struggles as a rare disease patient.&nbsp; But we don\u2019t want to know your name or where you live. We won\u2019t even allow you to use your real name when you register for one of our communities. Because when it comes to medical things, anonymity is important in our googly universe.&nbsp; Your information is never shared, and your activity never tracked by adware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Ben\u2019s Friends asks for the country and region you live in, that\u2019s in case your fellow members can recommend local resources and help, and so everyone knows what kind of medical system there is where you live.&nbsp; That\u2019s important when it comes to giving and getting support. Because we are all about support, and we\u2019re all in this together..&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ben\u2019s Friends:&nbsp;<strong>Safe and Supportive.&nbsp;<\/strong><br>And&nbsp;<strong>anonymous<\/strong>&nbsp;to keep it that way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color\"><b>Why create an account in <strong>Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome Support<\/strong>?<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Posts on the different Ben\u2019s Friends communities can be read by anyone on the internet. You can browse through the different topics and find most of the information you\u2019re looking for but there are many things you won\u2019t be able to do unless you create an account. These include:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making your own posts<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Although you\u2019re able to find useful information just by reading other members\u2019 posts, you might still have a lot of questions in your mind. Either you want to start a new topic to talk about them in detail or you want to reply to a comment on a thread. These won\u2019t be possible unless you create a new user account.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Viewing other members\u2019 profiles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Member profiles include information about the country or region they are from, whether they are a patient or a caregiver, and details about their disease and treatments. Maybe you came across an interesting post and you want to learn more about the member. Or maybe you\u2019re looking for members who are from the same country as you. Having a user account allows you to see other member profiles and find information that may be relevant.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sending private messages.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Aside from being able to post publicly and commenting on a thread, having a user account also allows you to send private messages both to other members and moderators. In case you want to discuss a topic only with a specific person, this is possible by sending private messages when you have created your account.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-black-color has-text-color\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click here to create an account and join.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-black-color has-text-color\">Latest Discussions<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"feedzy-eb00f16e76d1549d431de7366ab677be feedzy-rss\"><ul><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/t\/today-is-giving-tuesday-here-are-two-easy-ways-to-help-our-community\/4068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Today is Giving Tuesday. Here Are Two Easy Ways to Help Our Community<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\">ModSupport<\/a> on December 2, 2025 <\/small><p>Hi everyone,\nToday is Giving Tuesday, a day when many people look for meaningful causes to support. If you would like to help our community today, here are two simple and meaningful options.\n1) Share our campaign with friends or family\nThis is one of the most helpful things members can do. Even if you cannot donate, you can still make a big impact by spreading the word. Here are a few [&hellip;]<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/t\/our-community-is-coming-together-here-is-how-you-can-help\/4067\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Our Community Is Coming Together. Here Is How You Can Help<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\">ModSupport<\/a> on November 25, 2025 <\/small><p>Hi everyone,\nAs we approach the end of the year, our entire Ben\u2019s Friends network is launching our annual community support campaign. Each forum plays an important role, so we wanted to share a few simple ways you can help strengthen this space we all rely on.\nMost importantly, there is never any expectation to give financially. Just being here, supporting one another, and sharing your [&hellip;]<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/t\/looking-for-sjogrens-specialist-doctor-and-rheumatologist-in-toronto-on\/4063\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Looking for Sjogrens specialist, doctor and rheumatologist in Toronto, ON<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\">Tanika<\/a> on October 31, 2025 <\/small><p>Hi would appreciate feedback from fellow Canadians.\nthanks\n            2 posts &#8211; 2 participants\n            Read full topic<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/t\/newbie-here\/4050\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Newbie here<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\">Hawkeye<\/a> on May 31, 2025 <\/small><p>Hi. My name is Dianne aka Hawkeye. As I travel this journey, I have learned much about Sjogrens and Me.  I call it a personal journey as I realize each of us dealing with this are unique, with shared experiences.  I started in my 60\u2019s with complaints that were misdiagnosed several times by different professionals in areas of rheumatology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and even a clinical trial.  I [&hellip;]<\/p><\/div><\/li><li  style=\"padding: 15px 0 25px\" class=\"rss_item\"><span class=\"title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/t\/volunteer-opportunity-marketing-manager-email-social-media\/4041\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noopener\">Volunteer Opportunity: Marketing Manager (Email + Social Media)<\/a><\/span><div class=\"rss_content\" style=\"\"><small>by <a href=\"\/\/forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"forum.sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\">ModSupport<\/a> on March 11, 2025 <\/small><p>Do you have experience with marketing and a knack for crafting engaging content?\nBen\u2019s Friends is seeking volunteers for two distinct Marketing Manager roles\u2014one focused on email marketing and the other on social media. Both roles play a vital part in helping us communicate with our members and supporters.\nKey Responsibilities\n\n\nEmail Marketing: Create and manage regular email newsletters, [&hellip;]<\/p><\/div><\/li><\/ul> <\/div><style type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image{float:left;position:relative;border:none;text-decoration:none;max-width:100%}.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image span{display:inline-block;position:absolute;width:100%;height:100%;background-position:50%;background-size:cover}.feedzy-rss .rss_item .rss_image{margin:.3em 1em 0 0;content-visibility:auto}.feedzy-rss ul{list-style:none}.feedzy-rss ul li{display:inline-block}<\/style><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome Support&nbsp;is an online patient support community that is powered by&nbsp;BensFriends.org,&nbsp;a network of patient support communities for rare diseases. Our mission at&nbsp;Ben\u2019s Friends&nbsp;is to ensure that patients living with rare diseases or chronic illnesses, as well as their caregivers, family, and friends, have a safe and supportive place to connect with others like them. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Finding support for Sjogren&#039;s Syndrome? Connect with people like you.<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Join Sjogren&#039;s Syndrome Support, a Ben&#039;s Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding support for Sjogren&#039;s Syndrome? Connect with people like you.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Join Sjogren&#039;s Syndrome Support, a Ben&#039;s Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Support\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-04T11:46:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\",\"name\":\"Finding support for Sjogren's Syndrome? Connect with people like you.\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-04-20T13:56:31+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-04T11:46:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Join Sjogren's Syndrome Support, a Ben's Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png\",\"width\":720,\"height\":300},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Finding support for Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome? Connect with people like you.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/\",\"name\":\"Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Support\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Finding support for Sjogren's Syndrome? Connect with people like you.","description":"Join Sjogren's Syndrome Support, a Ben's Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Finding support for Sjogren's Syndrome? Connect with people like you.","og_description":"Join Sjogren's Syndrome Support, a Ben's Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.","og_url":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","og_site_name":"Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Support","article_modified_time":"2025-03-04T11:46:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":720,"height":300,"url":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png","type":"image\/png"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","url":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","name":"Finding support for Sjogren's Syndrome? Connect with people like you.","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png","datePublished":"2023-04-20T13:56:31+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-04T11:46:02+00:00","description":"Join Sjogren's Syndrome Support, a Ben's Friends community, offering a safe space for patients and caregivers to connect and share.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Sjogrens.png","width":720,"height":300},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Finding support for Sjogren&#8217;s Syndrome? Connect with people like you."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/","name":"Sj\u00f6gren\u2019s Syndrome Support","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":139,"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9\/revisions\/139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sjogrenssyndromesupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}