Charcot-Marie-Tooth Support and Action Group Meeting

Charcot-Marie-Tooth, or CMT, is the most commonly inherited peripheral neuropathy and is found worldwide among all races and ethnic groups. Discovered in 1886 by three physicians, Jean-Martin Charcot, Pierre Marie, and Howard Henry Tooth, CMT affects an estimated 2.6 million people.

CMT patients slowly lose normal use of their extremities as nerves degenerate and muscles weaken because the affected nerves no longer stimulate the muscles. Many patients also have some loss of sensory nerve functions. CMT usually isn’t life-threatening and almost never affects brain function. It is not contagious, but it is hereditary and can be passed down from one generation to the next.

CMT does not have a cure, YET!

The Central New Jersey Support and Action Group meets bi-monthly. The next meeting is Sunday, January 27, 2013 at noon. The group will meet in Conference Room B of the Health Awareness Center at CentraState Medical Center.

The guest speaker for this event will be Michael Needleman, an attorney with Fineman, Krekstein & Harris in Philadelphia. He is licensed to practice in the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Western District of Pennsylvania, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He has developed a sort of specialty practice in the employment discrimination area, and within that, of handling disability discrimination claims. He also concentrates his practice on insurance coverage issues.

Michael Needleman really knows CMT, both he and his brother have CMT!

This meeting is open to anyone interested in learning more about CMT, especially CMT patients, caregivers, and family members.