C.A.L.M.

Stay calm.
You are not alone.

If you are visiting us for the first time, please know you aren't alone.

C.A.L.M. is a non-profit organization formed in 1993 to provide support to families of children with lymphatic malformations. We seek to make available up-to-date and accurate medical information on this rare disorder.

Just as importantly, we seek to provide a support group through which families can exchange experiences and information, and an opportunity for families and children to meet, swap stories, and learn from those professionals researching in this area.

The image at the top of these pages is a watercolor rendering of a photograph taken at an "egg race" at a gathering we held recently. All of the children in the race have lymphatic malformations. Many had never met another child like themselves before this gathering. The joy we saw in these children after they had spent just a few hours getting to know each other was priceless.

As you have probably already discovered, lymphatic malformations are so rare that very few physicians encounter even a single case in a lifetime of practice. Confidentiality rules prevent the medical profession from telling us about families who might want to join with us, and so we can only try to make ourselves known so that you might find us.

We started with four families in 1993, and grew slowly, mostly by word-of-mouth. Now, eleven years later, we have approximately 3,000 families as members.

On these pages, you will find more information about lymphatic malformations than you can get from most doctors, and links to research we believe is of interest.

In our "Members Only" section, you will find links to a directory of those members who choose to be listed, and some tools to make it easier for our members to communicate among each other.

Children Anguished with Lymphatic Malformations ("C.A.L.M.") is a non-profit organization, with no paid staff. 100% of our income goes to the children's programs, getting them together for camp, reunions, and so forth.