Terms of Use

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing and using the Brave Butterfly Bari website ("barivapnek.com" or "the Website"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this Website. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of any changes to these terms constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Purpose of This Website

This Website is operated by Bari Gordon Vapnek, a hypoparathyroidism patient advocate, columnist, and public speaker. The Website provides educational and informational content about hypoparathyroidism, including personal stories, health tools, nutrition guidance, community features, and advocacy resources.

User Accounts & Patient Portal

Certain features of this Website, such as the Patient Portal, require you to create an account using your email address and a self-created PIN. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that we believe violates these Terms of Use or is harmful to other users, us, or third parties, or for any other reason at our sole discretion.

Interactive Tools & Health Data

This Website offers interactive health tools including a Corrected Calcium Calculator, Bridge Battery, Symptom Tracker, Brain Games, and other features. These tools are provided for educational and informational purposes only and are NOT diagnostic or clinical tools.

By using these tools, you acknowledge and agree that:

• Results should NOT be used to make medical decisions
• You submit health data voluntarily and at your own risk
• This Website is NOT a covered entity under HIPAA
• Data submitted through these tools is not protected health information (PHI)
• Some data may be stored locally on your device via browser localStorage

User-Submitted Content

This Website allows users to submit content including, but not limited to, photos (Faces of Hypopara), stories, questions (Ask Bari), testimonials, and other materials ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you agree to the following:

• You grant Bari Gordon Vapnek a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your User Content on this Website and in connection with advocacy and educational efforts
• You represent that you own or have the necessary rights to submit the User Content and that it does not violate any third party's rights
• All User Content is subject to review and approval before being displayed publicly
• We reserve the right to remove any User Content at our sole discretion
• You will not submit content that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, or otherwise objectionable

Intellectual Property

All content on this Website, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, audio, video, software, and the compilation thereof, is the property of Bari Gordon Vapnek and is protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any content from this Website without prior written consent, except for personal, non-commercial use such as printing a recipe or sharing a link to a page.

Prohibited Conduct

When using this Website, you agree NOT to:

• Use the Website for any unlawful purpose
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Interfere with or disrupt the Website or its servers
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Website
• Use automated systems (bots, scrapers) to access the Website without permission
• Upload viruses, malware, or other harmful code
• Harass, bully, or intimidate other users
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information

Third-Party Links & Resources

This Website contains links to third-party websites and resources, including but not limited to HypoParathyroidism News, The Assistance Fund, medical journals, and various product and service providers. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes only.

We do not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites. You access third-party websites at your own risk and should review their terms and privacy policies before use.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THIS WEBSITE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR ACCURACY. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE WEBSITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, SECURE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, BARI GORDON VAPNEK AND THIS WEBSITE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUES, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE) THIS WEBSITE, ANY CONTENT ON THIS WEBSITE, OR ANY USER CONTENT SUBMITTED TO THIS WEBSITE.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bari Gordon Vapnek from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or in any way connected with your access to or use of this Website, your violation of these Terms of Use, or your violation of any rights of another.

Governing Law

These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in the State of California.

Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms of Use at any time without prior notice. Changes will be effective immediately upon posting to this page. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page indicates when these terms were last revised. Your continued use of this Website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Use, please contact us through the Ask Bari page.