“The goal of Trivia Night is to allow more patients to experience the positivity and connectedness during the PHA International PH Conference and Scientific Sessions, where health care professionals and patients unite,” says Martha Kingman, D.N.P., FNP-C about the inaugural 2019 PH Professional Network (PHPN) Trivia Night fundraiser.

Health care professionals are signing up to participate in the event to fundraise for the Pulmonary Hypertension Association’s (PHA’s) Conference Scholarship Fund, which will help individuals with pulmonary hypertension (PH) and their caregivers attend PHA’s Conference for the first time.

PHPN Symposium Committee co-chairs Martha Kingman, D.N.P., FNP-C and Susie McDevitt, M.S.N., ACNP-BC, note that “PHPN Symposium is one of our greatest traditions through PHA, as it provides networking, education, best practice sharing and much needed peer support as we all continue the hard work to fight PH which often means honoring those we have lost. That is just not possible via any other venue or forum. We make each other better through this meeting, no doubt.  But to be able to fundraise while we are there to help more patients and families have an opportunity to attend PHA Conference is just the icing on the cake.”

Tisha Kivett, NP, team captain for her PHPN Trivia Night team, shared her experience with a patient that reflects her reasons for participating in the event: “I have a teenage female patient who was feeling alone with her diagnosis. Our team discussed the benefits of her and her family participating in online and in-person support groups, Facebook groups and attending conferences, as well as counseling. She and her family decided to attend the Orlando conference…On the second day of conference, I heard my name being called in the atrium. I turned around and it was my patient with a huge smile on her face. She was so excited, telling me about all the girls her age she had met and was hanging out with. To see the change in my patient when she was able to connect with the other girls and realize she is not alone, is something I won’t forget. Conference is a key education piece for our patients and their families, but the psychosocial benefits of attending conference extends far beyond that weekend.”

“I will always have great memories!” says a 2018 scholarship recipient. “Being at the Conference was my first time not feeling like an outsider. I felt like I belonged and everyone understood what I was feeling and saying. That feeling of not standing out was priceless.”

In addition to the benefit it will provide PH patients, PHPN Trivia Night promises to be a relaxing, laughter-filled evening with a spirit of competition for all participants. The Symposium Committee’s goal is to raise $7,000. Martha and Susie believe “every PHPN member should consider supporting this goal even if you cannot attend Symposium; any small amount will make a difference!”To learn more about the PHPN Symposium Trivia Night, purchase tickets or make a donation, visit PHAevents.org/TriviaNight.