Nevus Maps
At our conference in 2002, we thought it would be interesting to take a map of the USA and stick a pin in every place where we knew someone lived who had a large nevus. It was really nice to get an overall look at how these people were distributed for the first time.
Since 2007, Nevus Outreach has posted maps of the location of our constituents on our website. Beginning with the US, Canada was added in the fall. By looking at the Nevus Outreach Family Map, people with a nevus are able to see that they are not alone - a great improvement compared to a generation ago. We received this note in November 2008 from an adult woman with a nevus:
"I can't believe this site has been around for the past 10 years, but I am so happy that I finally found some support for my condition. I have searched and searched for some kind of support link that would help me to understand it, and to let me know I was not all alone...like I feel I have been all my life. I am 55 years old and have spent so many years keeping this a secret from everyone, except from my doctors, and a few close relatives...I don't know of any other human being who has this condition, and no doctor has ever been able to tell me they've seen this before, which made me feel even more isolated. I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for Nevus Outreach. I wish I would have discovered it sooner..."
The Nevus Outreach Family Map is created using geographic information system (GIS) software made possible by a grant from ConocoPhillips. Nevus Outreach volunteer Arlen Wiens continues to update the maps. We have recently added Australia. One day: the world! For the USA, If you click on the map of North America below, it will take you to a version that's even bigger. At the bottom of big map page, you will find a link to enlargements of USA regional maps.
Thanks to everyone who continues to update their information in our registry so we know who lives where and we can continue to network together people who are affected by big nevi!
People with Nevi - Ireland and the UK
People with big nevi undoubtedly consider others who have big nevi to be "points of interest." Recently, the group called Caring Matters Now (CMN), a sort of "sister group" to Nevus Outreach located throughout the UK and Ireland, offered to share the postal codes of their 220 constituents. (more)
More Nevus Maps Added
The data just keeps coming! Thanks to Dr. Sven Krengel and his team in Germany, we are now able to publish new nevus maps of Austria, Germany and Switzerland! We have also mapped our dots...(more)
G'day - Australia Now Mapped!
I can say "G'day" because I used to work for an Australian company, Repco, as 2IC ("second in command" which is Australian [pronounced "strine"] for "Assistant Manager") of a company store. Now that...(more)
People with Nevi - North America
