Meet Daniel Schein, the man behind Anosmia Awareness Day
Meet the Man behind Anosmia Awareness Day!
It’s Feb 27thand that means only one thing to everyone at Fifth Sense – Anosmia Awareness Day! What better time to catch up with the man who started it back in 2012.
Daniel Schein was born with anosmia. He grew up on Long Island in New York and went to Baruch College where he studied Computer Information Systems. He now works for a Technology Consulting firm.
Hello Daniel, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Was there any particular trigger (or triggers) that prompted you to establish Anosmia Awareness Day or was it simply an idea that formed over a period of time?
I was in the 5th grade when I came to the realization that I had no sense of smell. But it wasn’t until the summer of 2011 when I began to research and learn about anosmia. I learned that of all five senses, we know the least about smell. Most importantly, I learned that there are millions of others around the world who are in a similar situation, who have no idea there is a name for this. My own lack of awareness for the term anosmia is what fundamentally led me to establish Anosmia Awareness Day to spread awareness and understanding to the public. Awareness for anosmia is the first step to further interest in research to gain more support for those who are unable to smell.
You established Anosmia Awareness Day in 2012, how has it gathered momentum in the last 8 years?
Anosmia Awareness Day started out as a small Facebook event with just a few followers and since then, we have established partnerships with many different charities and research centers around the world to help spread awareness to as many people as possible. Almost every day, we receive messages from people looking to learn more about anosmia and the number continues to grow. Together, we have raised awareness among tens of thousands of individuals and will continue to bring awareness in the years to come.
What have you done on other Anosmia Awareness Days in your attempts to raise awareness?
Every year we partner with many research centers and charities around the world. Most recently we launched our website AnosmiaAwarness.org which serves as a one-stop resource for those looking for more information on anosmia. The website has proven to be an excellent resource and attracts many new visitors every day.
What will you be doing to mark Anosmia Awareness Day this year?
This year, to further our mission, we will be posting, sharing and spreading awareness through our social media channels and website.
We’d like to say a big thanks to Daniel for all his efforts in raising Anosmia Awareness and we’ll look forward to continuing to work together in future!