My name is Laura Santurri, and I have had IC for over eleven years now.  When I was first diagnosed, I immediately asked my doctor if there was a support group in the Akron, Ohio, area.  I was fortunate that there was, and my doctor gave me a flyer.  I went to my first support group meeting on a Saturday afternoon and realized that I was not alone.  A whole room full of other people living with IC gave me hope that I, too, could learn to cope with this disease. 

A wonderful, compassionate individual named Pat started the Akron Ohio IC Support Group back in 2000 when she was first diagnosed with IC.  She secured a free room in the nursing building at Akron City Hospital and slowly but surely got the word out to other people living with this disease.  She successfully ran the group for over three years.

In June of 2003, I received a letter from Pat stating that she was stepping down as support group leader because of medical concerns.  With the hope of continuing the support group, what I viewed as a needed and valuable resource, I called Pat and took over her role as group leader.

For the past five and a half years, I have continued to grow the membership list and provide support group meetings where people with IC could hear professional speakers and get the chance to share and talk with other people who understand what it is like to live with this disease.  However, throughout this time, I have always wanted to provide resources beyond the support group to people living with IC in Northeast Ohio. 

In the effort to do this, I decided that turning the Akron Ohio IC Support Group into an official nonprofit organization was the first step.  As a nonprofit organization with 501c3 status, I felt that I could obtain the needed resources to offer other services, like this website and a self-management program (that teaches important skills and tools that can help one cope with a chronic disease), along with the support group.

So, on January 16, 2007, IC Support, Inc. became recognized as a nonprofit corporation by the Ohio Secretary of State.  An application for 501c3 status was submitted on April 16, 2007, and the formal decision from the IRS to provide us with 501c3, nonprofit status came during the summer of 2007.

It is my hope that this all-volunteer organization will continue to grow over the coming years and will be seen, by both those living with IC and the medical community, as a valuable and reliable resource for the IC population in Northeast Ohio.