International CVS Awareness Day is a community-driven movement to increase public recognition of CVS and impact change regarding access to diagnosis and treatment for those impacted by cyclic vomiting syndrome. This is a once-a-year opportunity that we, as a community, can use our voices, individual stories, and experiences to reduce stigma associated with CVS, increase the recognition of and impact the understanding of cyclic vomiting syndrome. 

We encourage everyone, including individuals, families, caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, clinicians, policy makers, industry representatives and the public to consider ways that they can light up awareness and help drive change for those impacted by cyclic vomiting syndrome. 

March 5th is CVS Awareness Day and the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association, and its volunteers, having been working to #LightUpCVSAwareness by getting iconic landmarks, buildings, bridges and locations across the US and Canada to light up blue in honor of CVS awareness day. Having these beacons of light provides a platform and opportunity that we can all use to participate in increasing awareness of cyclic vomiting syndrome.

Here are some of the locations lighting up: 

  • Gilbert Water Tower (AZ) – 3/5/2023
  • Pfister Hotel (WI) – 3/5/2023
  • Skydance Bridge (OK) – 3/5/2023
  • The Wheel at Icon Park (FL) – 3/6/2023
  • Zakim Bridge (MA) – 3/5/2023
  • Longfellow Bridge (MA) – 3/5/2023
  • Fore River Bridge (MA) – 3/5/2023
  • Burns Bridge (MA) – 3/5/2023
  • The “M” (CA) – 3/5/2023
  • I-35W Bridge (MN) – 3/5/2023 *(from 1/2 hour before Sunset to 1/2 hour after Sunrise)
  • Capella Tower (MN) – 3/5/2023
  • The Spires on Main Street Square (SD) – 3/5/2023
  • Retirement Systems of Alabama Buildings in Mobile and Montgomery (AL) – 3/5/2023
  • Ziggurat (FL) – 3/5/2023
  • Baltimore City Hall Dome (MD) – 3/4/2023 & 3/5/2023
  • Clock Faces in Lewiston, Maine Tower (ME) – 3/5/2023
  • Niagara Falls (NY and Canada) – 3/5/2023 *10:00pm (EST) for 15min
  • Peace Bridge (NY & Ontario, Canada) – 3/5/2023 *The lights will come on at dusk and remain on until 1:00 AM (EST)
  • Calgary Tower (Calgary Alberta, Canada) – 3/5/2023
  • Montreal Tower in Parc Olympique (Quebec, Canada) – 3/5/2023
  • Edmonton Bridge (Canada) – 3/5/2023

If you are going to any of these locations in-person, please follow the local guidelines and regulations. For more updates and additional locations check: https://givebutter.com/CVSAwarenessDay-2023

Here are a few confirmed light ups in the United Kingdom:

  • Gateshead Millennium Bridge
  • Chester: Town Hall, Newgate Arch, & Eastgate clock. 
  • Ellesmere Port library and a building in Winsford. 
  • York City Walls 
  • Clacton Pier
  • Wainhouse Tower- Halifax

For the most current information on what is lighting up in the UK please visit the CVSA UK Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CVSAUK

We encourage everyone to consider ways that they can #LightUpCVSAwareness 

Here are some ways that you may consider participating:

Light up social media:

Share photos of locations lighting up, share your experiences and stories on social media platforms and share how CVS impacts you. Use hashtags #LightUpCVSAwareness and #CVSAwareness

Thank You:

The Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association (CVSA) would like to extend a very energetic thank you to all the monuments, bridges, buildings, and locations that have agreed to light up on March 5th in recognition of International CVS Awareness Day. CVSA would also like to express our gratitude to all volunteers and individuals that worked on the outreach requesting and setting up light-ups.

Special Thanks To:

  • Gilbert Az : Marcus Corporation : Public Works Public Information :  ICON Park : MassDOT : Metro Statewide Lighting :  the Niagara Falls Illumination Board : Shorenstein Realty Services, L.P. : Buffalo & Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority :  Main Street Square : Retirement Systems of Alabama : JLL, Ziggurat: Calgary Tower Lighting : Lewiston City Hall : Parc Olympique : Pfister Hotel : City of Oklahoma : Baltimore City Hall : Moreno Valley “M” : Minnesota Dept of Trans : Peace Bridge : and many more!

What is International CVS Awareness Day?

This event routinely happens on March 5th, of any given year. International Awareness Day is an opportunity for everyone affected by CVS to help raise awareness. There are many ways to raise awareness and you can help! Below are a few examples of what has been done in the past to raise awareness and celebrate CVS awareness.

International CVS Awareness Day 2022

March of 2022 CVSA and a handful of volunteers who were able to aid in getting bridges, buildings, and iconic places to light up in blue to “Light up Awareness of the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome”.

In Recognition of International Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Awareness Day, held on March 5th, 2022, the Niagara Falls Illumination Board agreed to light up both the U.S. and Canadian sides of Niagara Falls with blue to help support of raising awareness of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome!

Special thanks to the Niagara Falls Illumination Board for their participation in this event! 

If you’d like to see Niagara Falls light up for CVS Awareness, you can view a recording of it on the CVSA YouTube page here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx0F9phkTUY&ab_channel=CyclicVomitingSyndromeAssociation

Other places that lit up blue to support CVS Awareness Day:

  • Zakim Bridge (MA)
  • Longfellow Bridge (MA)
  • Fore River Bridge (MA)
  • Burns Bridge (MA)
  • Gilbert Water Tower (AZ)
  • SkyDance Bridge (OK)
  • High Level Bridge (Edmonton, Canada)
  • Capella Tower (MN)
  • Mayo Clinic (MN)
  • Target Field (Minnesota Twins) (MN)

Light-Ups in the UK Provided by CVSA UK:

  • Gateshead Milennium Bridge (Gateshead, UK)
  • Eastgate Tower (Chester, UK)
  • St. David’s Cathedral (Haverfordwest, UK)

Here are some ways that people have participated:

  • Lighting up their houses blue
  • Sharing the event on social media channels
  • Wearing International Awareness Day Shirts from the CVSA bonfire store. 
  • Submitting requests for buildings, bridges, and other places near them and sharing approvals with CVSA.
  • Suggesting places that CVSA could request light up, and share them with CVSA
  • Wear blue
  • Wear a blue ribbon
  • Dye your hair blue
  • Host a local meet-up or fundraiser with social distancing precautions
  • Take pamphlets or brochures to doctors and ER waiting rooms
  • Present information to classes or medical groups
  • Volunteer for groups that are raising awareness and education for CVS
  • Donate to groups raising awareness and education for CVS

Some of these can be done year-round!

Don’t forget that the best way to share awareness of CVS is to share your story.

Social media has helped bring more recognition to all kinds of issues and conditions. We would like to encourage you to share your story. There are many ways and platforms for you to do that. You can share your story on social media. Consider creating a Facebook Fundraiser benefiting the work that CVSA does, share your story on it, and ask your friends and family to share. CVSA also has a “Share Your Story” page where you can share your CVS journey in words, pictures, and videos; you can update it at any time. It is a user-friendly interface where templates have already been set up, you just need to fill in your story and update it as you please. Then share it with your family and friends via email or social media.

Visit: https://www.classy.org/campaign/share-your-story/c331675 to get started.

Whatever you choose to do, and whenever you choose to do it, we want to hear about it. Send us an email (cvsa@cvsaonline.org) or share what you do on social media. Don’t forget to tag CVSA and use the hashtag #CVSAwareness.

International Awareness Day 2021

In 2021, CVSA is encouraging everyone to use our #oneword printable to share your own word to describe CVS. After you print it and write your one word. Please consider sharing it on social media and tag CVSA so we can share it on our page as well. Find the #oneword printable here.

See some other ways that people raised awareness during last year’s International Awareness day.

Excerpt from: Ross, Helen. “Helping hands: TOUR players trying to raise awareness of rare disease”. PGATOUR.COM. 4 March 2020.

This week, a group of PGA TOUR players are going to help Bryant, the golf coach at Kennesaw State, his wife Abbi, and daughter Charley (pictured below) raise awareness about the rare disorder. At the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by MasterCard, J.T. Poston, Keith Mitchell, Harris English (pictured below), Kevin Kisner and Brian Harman will be wearing the blue ribbon of the Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Association.

It’s a family affair, in more ways than one. Four of the players are Georgia alums like Bryant and Abbi. Bryant later coached Poston at Western Carolina – and was among those celebrating at Sedgefield Country Club last August when he made the Wyndham Championship his first TOUR title. “It just shows us how blessed we are to have friends and family that they keep up with us and care about our situation, and they want to use their platform to help,” says Bryant, who won the 2001 SEC Championship and played one year on the Korn Ferry Tour before deciding to go into coaching. “And it’s satisfying to know that we can help some people because we know what a difficult time, we’ve had going through it.” A year ago, the same five players made donations for birdies and bogeys during the entire month of March. This year, though, the decision was made to focus attention on this week since Thursday is international Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome Aware- ness day. On Thursday Charley’s class wore blue in honor of CVS International Day (Pictured below)

The CVS awareness ribbons being worn by some PGA tour members was just one way more attention was brought to CVS on March 5th. As you can see below, many efforts were made to bring much needed attention to CVS.

CVS International Awareness Day

The Bethel family of Kentucky spread awareness on International Day in multiple ways! They held a restaurant fundraiser at the Sugarfire Smokehouse; the restaurant donated 15% of their sales that day to CVSA. They also sent challenged their friends and family via social media and email to wear blue on March 5th and to send their pictures to them. For everyone that sent them a picture, the Bethel family pledged to donate $2 to CVSA; they had 107 participants in this challenge! Lastly, they did something called “Card Your Yard” (pictured below). They had many people stop and ask what it meant and how they could help. They were able to pass out CVSA pens, bracelets, and brochures to those that stopped to help spread the word about CVS. These are all great ideas to spread awareness within their community. Thank you, Bethel family!

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