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Welcome to Parents Association for Children/People with Rare Chromosome Disorders.
Welcome to Four-Leaf Clover (FLC),and thank you for visiting us.
FLC is a Japanese group founded on May 1996 to support children/people with rare chromosomal disorders and their families.
FLC's activities are based on the following three principles:
1) highest priority is given to the benefits of children/people with rare chromosomal disorders and their families;
2) taking no specific religious views;
3) supporting no specific political stances.
FLC's activities are:
1) exchanging information among member families by means of quarterly newsletters and "an exchange notebook" through mail;
2) gathering information concerning possible solutions for problems faced by children/people with rare chromosomal disorders and their families, and providing the information to the interested public;
3) endeavoring to call public attentions to the needs of children/people with rare chromosomal disorders and their families.
Children/people with rare chromosomal disorders and their families are likely to face common problems concerning medical care, welfare, education, employment, as well as various mental stresses and frustrations.
FLC tries to make progress to solve problems by cooperating with each other.
Although FLC has consisted of Japanese people, any person with the same problem or interests is strongly encouraged to join the FLC.
FLC eagerly seeks persons with expertise in care of children/people with rare chromosomal disorders.
Any interested parties are welcome to contact FLC through E-mail （ E-mail：flc[at]eve.ne.jp ※Please change [at] to @. ）.FLC will send you newsletters and other publications (written in Japanese) regularly.
New Member Families
Please do join us as a new member of FLC. About 120 families belong to our membership. About 200 individuals with a rare chromosome disorder are registered in our database. The vast majority are new cases and tend to be less reported in published medical journals. We also maintain close links with other similar groups. You may "find" another, older child with the same disorder as your child through FLC. Even if you can’t do so, you may talk to other parents with a child with a rare chromosome disorder. It can be a great relief and can help to alleviate feelings of isolation and "why me?". You are not alone.
Professionals
FLC always welcomes the involvement and advice of medical, health and other involved professionals. If you are any professional working with children/people with rare chromosome disorders, please tell your families about us so that they are aware of the help and support we can offer them.