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Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays!
2025 was an inspiring year for DMRF Canada. Thanks to our volunteers, donors, and partners, our small but mighty team achieved meaningful milestones with our community, see what YOU made possible. We continue to see a significant increase in the number of new patients and caregivers reaching out to the Foundation for information and support. Support requests have risen by more than 45 % compared to 2024, highlighting both rising awareness of dystonia and a growing need for trusted guidance. This increase reinforces the vital role DMRF Canada plays in helping individuals navigate diagnosis, treatment, and daily challenges. Looking ahead to 2026, we recognize an important milestone—50 years of DMRF Canada! We’re excited to keep the momentum going with new research projects and even more ways to connect and empower our community. From all of us at DMRF Canada — staff and board alike — thank you for your continued support. Together, we are dystonia strong. |
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Table of Contents
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Looking Back at 2025
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Looking Forward to 2026
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This year, DMRF Canada strengthened its role in the research community by joining Research Canada, helping elevate dystonia within national health research discussions. We also supported key scientific forums throughout the year that brought together experts to share emerging findings, explore new treatment approaches, deepen understanding of dystonia, foster collaboration, drive innovation, and help shape future research that will benefit individuals living with dystonia. To read more about these meetings, please click here.  |
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Dystonia Journal: OPINION - Is thalamic brain stimulation the right target to improve laryngeal dystonia symptoms? On
behalf of the Voice, Speech and Swallowing Movement Disorders Study Group. International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society: A
new study recently published in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, a
publication of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society, has
shed light on a common but often overlooked problem in people living with
cervical dystonia (CD)—sleeping difficulties. |
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Alberta Dystonia Symposium: Calgary and Edmonton support groups joined forces and hosted the Alberta Dystonia Symposium on September 20th and featured the following presentations by local experts:
Dystonia Europe: On October 30, Dystonia Europe held a webinar "Ask the Experts" with Prof. Alfonso Fasano, Dr. Anna Castagna and Prof. Kathryn Peall. You can watch the recording on their YouTube channel here! Shared with permission from Dystonia Europe. |
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| We are proud to celebrate the people and initiatives that bring energy, compassion, and hope to the dystonia community. Naval Centre Renamed to Honour Laraine Orthlieb: this major recognition celebrates the achievements of Laraine, a cherished dystonia community member and former Calgary Support Group Leader. Full story coming in the Spring 2026 Newsletter. Jackson Mooney 2025 Grant Recipients: Congratulations to this year’s Jackson Mooney Grant recipients, Abi Tripp and Lauren Allard. Click here to read more. A Special Thank You to Our Support Group Leaders:
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Calgary Volunteers Needed URGENT ALERT: VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for Calgary Casino on January 5th and 6th at Cowboys Casino. We are seeking a chip runner and backup volunteers on January 5th and 6th, 2026. Please click here to sign up. More information about the roles can be found here. Greater Toronto Volunteers Needed DMRF Canada is seeking volunteers in the Greater Toronto Area for our fundraising partnerships with the below bingo halls:
In exchange for your time, DMRF Canada receives a portion of the proceeds to support dystonia research and community programs. If you’re interested in getting involved, please click here for more details and email info@dystoniacanada.org |
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DMRF Canada wants to continue helping our amazing community and that is only made possible by your generous donations. Please consider donating to keep our momentum in the new year! Donate by December 31
to receive your 2025 charitable tax receipt.
To ensure your support reaches us without delay, we encourage you to donate through the following methods:
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| This holiday season, send your loved ones a ready-to-use e-card while supporting the environment and the dystonia community! Use pre-designed e-cards through CanadaHelps, and share your warm wishes instantly. Celebrate sustainably and make an impact—send your e-card today! * Note: When making your donation, be sure to select "give in honour" and "add dedication" to send an e-card. |
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DMRF Canada established the Legacy Society to acknowledge those who have made a lasting commitment to supporting dystonia research by naming DMRF Canada their estate plans. Options Include: Wills and Bequests; Life Income Gifts: Charitable Trusts and Gift Annuities; Qualified Retirement Plans; Real Estate For more details on estate planning, please visit: www.dystoniacanada.org/legacy |
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Scheduled Meetings Online-Neurologic Music Therapy Weekly on Thursdays Dystonia Support & Awareness - Thompson/Okanagan - Monthly Meetings Dystonia Support & Awareness - Vancouver Island - Monthly Meetings Winnipeg Virtual Support Group Meeting - January 31, 2026 Winnipeg Virtual Support Group Meeting - February 28, 2026 Find a full listing of currently scheduled meetings on our event page. Watch for future newsletters and announcements from DMRF Canada – we’ve got many more meetings and events in the works! Stay tuned for our 2026 list of events. |
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Please note, DMRF Canada office will be closed from December 24, 2025, to January 1, 2026. During this time, we will respond to urgent matters only. For assistance, please email info@dystoniacanada.org or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-361-8061.
We wish you a safe and happy holiday season! |
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Follow DMRF Canada on our social media platforms |
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@DMRFC |
@dystonia_canada |
@Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada |
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Please visit our website at https://dystoniacanada.org
Donate to our cause at https://dystoniacanada.org/donateonline
Our mailing address is:
Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada
PO Box 1009 Stn Toronto Dom
Toronto ON M5K 1P2 Canada |
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