MAY 12TH :
EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS DAY
FOR CFS, FMS, GWS, & MCS

Yes, we have our own Awareness Day for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Gulf War Syndrome, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity! These illnesses are grouped together because symptoms overlap, and many people are diagnosed with more than one condition. How can you participate? 

Letters to Your Senators and Representative: Nothing is more powerful than a grass roots letter writing campaign. A packet will be available at the April and May meetings. It contains a sample letter, a fact sheet to be included with it, and information on how to determine your senators and representative. (Or contact Carol and ask her to mail it to you.) 

Library Displays: Pick up brochures (25 CFS, 25 FM) at the April or May meeting and place them in the appropriate display area of your library. 

Hospital Displays: Set-up and sit with a display table from 11 to 2 pm on May 12 outside the cafeteria of a local hospital. The group will provide all materials. If the hospital is part of Harris, Baylor, or Presbyterian, we may be able to get approval for you. Contact Carol for more information. 

City Proclamations: In the past two years local groups have received proclamations at city council meetings from Arlington, Euless, Ft. Worth, Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Hurst, Irving, North Richland Hills, and Watauga. Last year we secured a resolution from the Texas House of Representatives. If you would like a copy of the proclamation and a sample letter to send to your mayor, contact Carol. 

Go to Washington for Lobby Days 2000: Join others from around the country on June 21 and 22 for the eighth annual Lobby Days. This event has been moved to June to coincide with the release of the GAO report on the CDC misallocation of funds, which will interest many members of Congress. Mandatory training is on the 21st, and visits to members of Congress will be scheduled for you on the 22nd. Rooms at the Holiday Inn are $118 a night. Register with the CFIDS Association of America by May 1st, and reserve your room by May 19th. Call Carol for more info. 

The Banner of Hope is made from sections of pillowcases (or other material). Each finished piece is 19 1/2" by 14". Volunteers attach the pieces on the 14" side. Each piece should be embroidered, appliqued or marked with your name or initials, state/country, and date of onset. You can also add the initials of the illness(es) you have. Texas residents send sections to Paula Frighetti (willow@azstarnet.com) 7133 E. 28th St., Tucson, AZ 85710. It is never too late to send in your section - the banner is used year round. See http://www.cinda.org/activism/banner.shtml for more information, or contact Carol. 

The Impact Book 2000: Last year a support group put together one-page stories of over 125 people affected by CFIDS and FM who could not go to D.C., and shared the book with politicians. This year they want to present the "Top Concerns" of CFIDS/FMS patients and caregivers to politicians on Lobby Day. They will compile a top concerns list, create the Impact Book 2000 and a pamphlet, and publish them both on their website. They have been invited to share the IB 2000 pamphlet with the organizers of Lobby Day 2000, and hope it will be included in the packet left with officials. The deadline is April 10th, 2000, but later submissions may be included in next year's book. Please list your top five concerns about living with these illnesses, and perhaps a sentence or two describing how you have been effected by each concern, or how you can be helped. Please include your town, state & country, and either your name or initials, and possibly your e-mail address. Anonymous entries will be included. Mail your entry to New York Support Network; PO Box 1085; Pearl River, NY 10965 or email it to nysn@mailcity.com. 

Letters to the Editor: On May 8, send your most articulately written piece to the editor of a high profile newspaper (or your local one) for publication on the 12th. Begin with ÏIn recognition of May 12, CFS/FMS Awareness Day, I submit the following letter to the editor for publication." The subject could range from CDC/NIH finances, to the "it's all in your head." mentality of so many, to making a marker available, to the hoops one is forced to jump through for SSDI, to family and friends not understanding, to the prevalence rate of CFS/FM, to the inadequacy of physician education re CFS/FM, to dealing with pain without adequate pain control, to what it's like to try to get through a work day, etc. Pick a topic. Any topic. Or combine some. Positive tone or negative tone. Either way, it gets read by at least one person - the one responsible for reading the mail at the newspaper. A list of email addresses for newspapers is being set up by Sheryl Jefferies at http://www.onelist.com/group/May12Letters. Email her at CRPublic@aol.com. 

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