VBF Month of Awareness is here! And we’re excited to share what’s ahead.
Join us throughout May for meaningful moments of connection, creativity, and community:
✨ VBF Birthmark Bedazzling Zoom session with Paige Lauren Billiot
May 9, 3PM EST / 12PM PST
Pre-register at birthmark.org/bedazzling
📝 Birthmark Story Poems
Submit your poems here: birthmark.org/birthmark-story-poems
🎤 Highlight Your Funny Show at Ice House Comedy Club
May 30, 6:30PM PST (Pasadena)
Email [email protected] for details
🌸 Birthmark Book Reading
Email [email protected] for info.
Follow along all month as we come together to raise awareness, share stories, and celebrate the global vascular birthmarks community.
#PutOnYourBirthmark #VBFMoA2026 #VBFMay15DoA2026 #VBFGivesHope
📣The VBF Month of Awareness launches tomorrow!
⚕️May is the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Month of Awareness - a time to come together, celebrate the strength of our global community and raise funds for our work to ensure all patients are networked into proper treatment.
🙌🏼 Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing opportunities to get involved including events, fundraising initiatives and inspirational stories of resilience from our community.
❤️ Follow along as we make a difference this Vascular Birthmarks Awareness Month.💜
Awareness and treatment starts here.
#PutOnYourBirthmark #VBFMoA2026 #VBFMay15DoA2026 #VBFGivesHope
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
2026 VBF Europe Annual Super Clinic - Bucharest
Date: Saturday, July 11, 2026
Time: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Helesteului Street, no 5, sector 1, Bucharest, Romania
Reservation fee: $50 non-refundable fee. All registrants will be accepted and will receive appropriate services.
Register here: birthmark.org/2026bucharest
This one-day Super Clinic offers:
Free laser treatments
Free ultrasounds
Free consultations
Free Sturge-Weber Syndrome assessments
With the Experts:
Dr. Ioana Pescaru, MD
Dr. Giacomo Colletti, MD
Dr. Gerald Goldberg, MD
Dr. J. Stuart Nelson, MD, PhD
Dr. Anne Comi, MD
Dr. David Hashemi, MD
Leslie Graff, MS, CCLS
Dr. Linda Rozell-Shannon, Ph.D. – Founder and Advocacy Director and Birthmark Expert
#VBF2026Bucharest #VascularAnomalies #Birthmarks #VBARS #VBFGivesHope
Join us TOMORROW, Monday, May 18, 2026, for the next VBF Parent Advocacy Network (PAN) ZoomSession at 7 PM ET / 4 PM PT.
Pre-register at this link: /pan/
The VBF Parent Advocacy Network is a series of 60-90 minute monthly facilitated virtual sessions held with Leslie Graff, M.S., C.C.L.S., Psychosocial and Developmental Expert, who is also a parent of a child with a vascular birthmark. These sessions are established to provide psychosocial and community support to families affected by a vascular birthmark, anomaly, and/or related syndrome and to explore affected family’s needs. This series explores a different topic each month beyond diagnosis and treatment options. Featuring activities, special guest co-hosts, and tools to equip you in this birthmark journey, attendees are encourage to turn on their cameras and microphones and participate in the conversation.
#ChildLifeSpecialist #VBF #ParentAdvocacy #LetsTalk #VascularAnomalies
Thank you Anonymous for your poem.
Join our community poetry series exploring identity, confidence, challenges, and the stories we carry.
Have you written a poem or song lyrics about your VBARS (vascular birthmark, anomaly, and/or related syndrome)? We invite you to submit your poem to share with the VBF community during VBF May Month of Awareness.
Send your submissions here: birthmark.org/birthmark-story-poems/
#VBFMoA2026 #BirthmarkPoetry
"Buddy Booby's Birthmark", written by Donna Ducker and Evan Ducker.
Davina reads her favorite part of her birthmark book.
Do you have a copy of Birthmarks Are Like Flowers? Or any other birthmark book?
Include your Name, type of vascular birthmark, anomaly and/or related syndrome (VBARS), book title, and send to [email protected]
Search for a digital copy of Dr. Linda's book Birthmarks Are Like Flowers on Amazon for just $1.99.
VBF Children's Library 📚 /kidslibrary/
Thank you for your poem Dr. Linda, aka Mother of Birthmarks!
Join our community poetry series exploring identity, confidence, challenges, and the stories we carry.
Have you written a poem or song lyrics about your VBARS (vascular birthmark, anomaly, and/or related syndrome)? We invite you to submit your poem to share with the VBF community during VBF May Month of Awareness.
Send your submissions here: birthmark.org/birthmark-story-poems/
#VBFMoA2026 #BirthmarkPoetry
May is Vascular Birthmarks Foundation Awareness Month! I'm happy to have created a some t-shirt designs to help raise money for @vbirthmarks . There's even baby and toddler sizes for all the birthmark kiddos out there. How cute! Fun fact: These smileys have marks that look similar to my son's port wine stains. 🍇🍷 Thanks so much to Kiana and the VBF team for helping these designs come to life on @bonfire 🔥Want to check them out? See the link in my bio or visit /store/vascular-birthmarks-foundation/ to grab a shirt!
Check out our 🌟NEW 🌟VBF apparel!
Support vascular birthmarks awareness and encourage empowerment with these cool designs by Amy Schaffer. @amyeschaffer.design
Visit our store here: /store/vascular-birthmarks-foundation/
Send us a photo of you or a loved one wearing our new VBF apparel!
#PutOnYourBirthmark #VBFDoA2026 #VBFMoA2026 #VBF
Today is International Vascular Birthmark Awareness Day. We often get asked if Tucker has fallen because of the red mark on his face. He is a rare little man who's actually developing birthmarks AFTER being born, but they aren't just birthmarks as we soon found out. Most babies are born with birthmarks that will either fade away or stay for the rest of their lives. In Tuck's case, he is developing them after being born. He was born with a hemangioma near his collar bone that has almost disappeared, but the new birthmarks popping up are vascular anomalies, called CM-AVM syndrome. A genetic mutation which controls vascular development. These could have potential for AVM's because of abnormal blood vessel connections. Tucker has been through vigorous testing and multiple genetic tests that have confirmed syndrome and thank the good Lord above, no AVM's. We actually just recently found out that he picked this up from his daddy's genes, which means Grey has it. After seeing some of the same spots on Paisley, she was genetically tested and ALSO has this syndrome. VERY RARE! Today, I want to spread awareness for Tucker, Grey, AND Paisley, along with all the other vascular syndrome peeps near and far. There can be options to laser these places on Tucker's face but we want him to have that option when he gets older. We think he's the cutest little boy in the world but we are pretty much partial to him. Once he started asking about them, I always told him it came from me kissing him way too much as a baby. He used to tell people that as a baby, but now he's too cool for that story. 😂
Feel free to share any stories of your own in the comments!
On 16 May, Sam McGregor will run the Hawke’s Bay Marathon to raise funds and awareness for vascular birthmarks. The marathon falls alongside Birthmark Awareness Day on 15 May, making it an especially meaningful time to support this cause. All funds raised will go directly to the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation to help provide access to specialist treatment, diagnostic care and global medical expertise for children and adults living with vascular birthmarks.
/runningforgeorgia/
#Donate #VBFDoA2026 #PutOnYourBirthmark #HawkesBayMarathon
Today is Vascular Birthmarks awareness day!! 🩷🩷
Vascular birthmarks, anomalies, and related syndromes (VBARS) occur around 1 in every 10 births. This is why raising medical and social awareness for VBARS is so important! I was born with a common type of vascular birthmark, called a Port Wine Stain, which occurs 1 in every 300 people. People with VBARS and other visual differences are just as kind, beautiful, capable, and worthy as anyone else. Let’s end the stigma surrounding vascular birthmarks!
#PutOnYourBirthmark
@vbirthmarks
