Saturday, March 22, 2008

R's Letter to Oprah, Ellen, Larry, Montel...

I'm always appreciative of comments/edits for the draft. I don't mean to be maudlin, but I thought a dose of reality might convey some urgency. Thanks. R
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Dear Oprah, Ellen, Montel, Larry,

This week the folks who read your mail have encountered a barrage of letters from people dealing with ALS. It has not been a wild coincidence. People with ALS support each other online. They share a common frustration and rage at being handed a diagnosis without the medical options that give them any fighting chance. They find ways to try to get the word out about ALS.

If this campaign to engage you to get this public health problem out of the shadows fails, they won’t give up; however, many of their bodies will soon give out. In a few years, many of them will be gone.

So if we don’t get some help now, there will be another group of people with ALS in 2011 who get a great idea to band together and get some help from someone with a major media voice. Most of the names will be new ones. The letter-writers of 2011 are enjoying healthy and productive lives right now. The stories will be all too similar. It won’t stop until we do something about it!

Every 90 minutes an American gets the diagnosis. Every 90 minutes we bury an American who has died from ALS. Please use your voice to stop this deadly revolving door now. It has gone on too long. We Americans can do better. What better place to focus our collective energy!

Sincerely,

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