WAGR Weekend 2024 was held in sunny San Diego, California. It was hosted by the Volk Family and supported by a fantastic group of volunteers. IWSA families were treated to a Friday afternoon San Diego Bay boat cruise followed by dinner and social time. Mom’s Night Out was well attended and as always the time went by too quickly! The Dad’s activity was different this year, with fathers meeting for a Saturday morning breakfast.
The Saturday Parent Meeting addressed a number of topics, including:
IWSA organizational update by Shari Krantz, IWSA Executive Director
2024 WAGR Patient Registry Findings by John Morris, IWSA Board Chair
Is this a WAGR Thing? Presented by Kelly Trout, IWSA Board Member and Director of Research and Medical Advocacy
Updates on the National Institutes of Health WAGR/11p Deletion Phenotype-Genotype Correlation Studies by Joan Han, MD, Chief Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Mt Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, New York City, NY
IWSA Board Member Tom Cox led the discussion after presentations. Special thanks to Dr Joan Han for joining our meeting and for fielding questions from parents who attended in person as well as the many who participated via Zoom.
Kids and young adults were chaperoned by amazing volunteers and enjoyed playing miniature golf and having lunch at the course.
After the meeting, there was free time to socialize, rest, swim–and kite flying next to the hotel. The weather was perfect and the kids and adults alike enjoyed the activity.
Saturday evening activities were extra special. Families enjoyed dinner on the patio followed by Family Bingo. Brittany Volk led the event, which allowed everyone to participate and most won prizes! Sam Dawkins and Owen Mott assisted with number pulling and did a fantastic job!
Our thanks to the Volks and Karen Vaughan for the amazing fundraising efforts and planning for a memorable weekend for all attendees! And special thanks to all of the volunteers who made it possible for parents to relax and socialize with others who understand their challenges.
Additional information on the conference, incuding access to conference recordings, can be found here
