Little People of America National Conference
in San Francisco Results

If you’ve never been to a National Little People of America (LPA) Conference I wholeheartedly suggest you reconsider. It’s a very exciting 10-day event with so many different things to participate in it's mind-boggling! The conference was well organized by district 12 of the LPA. Kudos to all the people in district 12 who worked so hard to make this conference a big success! There are competitions from equestrian events to weight lifting to badminton! There are activities for kids, teenagers and tweens, FYI that’s between the ages 9-12. There are chess groups, bingo, a card room and musical reviews all going on throughout the conference. New this year was the Barty’s Club, which is a sort of a mellow atmosphere for adults with soft jazz and a place to get to know new friends and simply a place to relax and talk.

Tom Wagner Locked Up in Alcatraz

And this year the LPA Conference in San Francisco this past July proved again thrilling as usual! This was my third National LPA conference and I must say every time I go it’s more fun than the last! The outing to Alcatraz Island was fascinating as well as educational and the trip to China town was lots of fun. Fishermen’s wharf was filled with shops full of souvenirs and plenty of t-shirts and sweaters, as it gets quite chilly and windy on the bay.

As with every LPA Conference there are medical Clinics available, free of charge, from 9 am – 12 noon and 1:30 pm – 5:00pm throughout the 10-day conference. Appointments are made at the time you arrive to register for the conference. It’s a wonderful opportunity to have a one on one discussion with a doctor concerning your personal situation.

There were many interesting medical workshops. The ones I found most educational of course, were the workshops with information dealing with issues relating to Morquio disease. One of these being a medical workshop entitled “ Hips in LPs – from infancy to replacement” run by Dr. William Mackenzie, Michael Ain, Joe Isaacson, and William McGann. I especially enjoyed that there was time for questions and answers. Below is the handout that Dr. McGann shared.

Another workshop I attended entitled” Orthopedic and neurosurgical concerns – neck and spine” run by Dr. Will Mackenzie and Joe Queenan. Again there was time for Q & A’s of which there was plenty! Below is a picture of Dr. Will Mackenzie with Dr. Tomatsu at the conference. Dr. Mackenzie will be writing the pediatric orthopedic section of the Monograph on Morquio. Dr. Mackenzie, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, has taken on many patients of Dr. Koptis after he pasted away.

Dr. Will Mackenzie Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon from
The Dupont Institute in DE, Maryland & Dr. Shunji Tomatsu
Pediatric Research Institute, St. Louis, MO.

The workshop that Dr. Tomatsu and I organized went very well. We had 9 morquio children and adults attend as well as friends and family. Dr. Tomatsu presented his latest findings on Morquio research. There was some Q & A’s but we ran out of the time allotted for in the conference room, so we all decided to met for dinner later that night in the hotel restaurant to continue our questions and get to know everyone better. It was a wonderful dinner and an exceptional group with rarely a lull in conversation! Rachel Mendez, a friend of Julie Perez, sprung for the entire dinner (around 17 people)! It was a very generous gift and everyone was truly surprised and most grateful. Ms. Mendez has also offered to host a fund raising event in California, to raise money for Morquio Research, as well! Below is a picture from our workshop.

Dr. Tomatsu Speaking at Morquio Workshop

Moquio Attendees at the Workshop
Back row Dr. Tomatsu & Donna Hughs
Chris Isaaz, Julia Perez, Carol Harings, Jill Martin,
Jessie Van Vortiz, Ian Michael Smith, Merideth Segal, & Tom Wagner

The LPA truly puts on one of the most fun conferences I’ve ever attended. They have dances every night. They put on a huge talent show that was so much fun! They also have a fashion show and simply tons of different t-shirts and memorabilia to purchase during the 10-day conference. The expo was full of interesting products and services staffed with friendly and knowledgeable people around to help explain everything. Below is a picture of my daughter, Carol Ann who is 12 years old, who was dancing one night with total abandon. This was her first LPA Conference. And according to her this conference was a “a lot of fun” and she asked me “when the next one is” as well as “can I go again”!

Carol Dancing the Night Away