Our ‘Express Migraine to Congress!’ campaign is launched at the wonderful suggestion of Vicki Gewe!
Vicki sent a book to Tom Harkin (D-IA), Chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, and I sent a copy to each of my senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein. Seven books are on their way to Congress now!
AND for every book sold in this effort, we will donate $1 to the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy. You can make a dual impact with your purchase.
Anyone can purchase a book for Congress to promote awareness and migraine research here: http://www.wordmetropress.com/congress.html. Simply make a note in the PayPal purchase form which Senator or Representative you would like to receive your book.
Members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which oversees the National Institutes of Health are listed, and members of the Health Committees are indicated with an asterisk. So you can target a committee member or Congress person of your choice.
I’ll display recipients’ names or districts in blue as they’re chosen so we don’t duplicate efforts.
Along with your book we’ll send a letter (See Congress letter page) with your name, address and purpose or if you wish to write your own letter and e-mail it to me, I can include that.
The Momentum for Migraine is building! More articles appear in the media as more public people speak up as migraineurs. Cindy McCain has entered the fray as a migraine advocate, and as Teri Robert has mentioned, the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy (AHDA) is planning another Headache on the Hill event.
It’s a great time to help Congress understand how much migraine has been neglected and how much attention and funding it needs.
Thank you so much for all you do for migraine understanding and advocacy!
Betsy what a great idea! I am going to link to this on my blog.
- Megan
Thanks, Megan! I hope we can get books to every senator and representative!
I am a 73 yr.old woman who has suffered with dehabilitating migraines for 49 yrs. I know there are thousands that are also suffering with little or nothing to provide
relief.I would like to ask the Congress to do all they can to provide education and research to put an end to the unnecessary pain and suffering for us. The laws have tightened up on the availibility of pain medication which helps so many sufferers.
Thanks for writing, Marie, and WOW – 49 years! I am sorry to hear it, but I honor you. I hope you will go to the list of senators and representatives and write to yours!
I hope for those who come after us, there will be a cure for migraine!
What an awesome idea! I will be publicizing this, and I just placed an order to be sent to one of my Senators.
Thanks for advocating on behalf of all of us!
Be well,
MJ
Thanks so much, MJ. I will send your book with pleasure!
Hi, I have just sent a copy of Migraine Expressions to my senator, Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland.
Thank you for the wonderful idea!
Sandy
Thank you, Sandy! I can’t tell you what a pleasure it will be to send these first five books off this week!
All my best,
Betsy
I’m 53 and I’ve been having migraines as long as I can remember. The past couple of years I had been getting anasthetic trigger point (neck) and nerve block (head)injections that my health insurance was paying for. Well, wouldn’t you have it that all of a sudden they decided that they were no longer going to pay for the shots. Something about them being to close together to be diagnostic. Well, they aren’t diagnostic, they are theraputic!
On my next visit to the headache center I go to in Philly I was shown a folder about 3/4″ thick with letters that the doctor has written to the insurance company to get them to change their mind. It’s not only me they have done this to, they are doing this to many of their patients. There is only one reason they are doing this, COST! Let the patient suffer and hope they give up trying to get their treatment and just take more drugs that they have to fight to get.
I absolutely hate the amount of drugs I need to take just in hopes that I can get through a single day w/o a headache or a migraine.
My food trigger is onions, which I didn’t know until a few years ago. That would explain many of the migraines I had as a kid. Now I have bad osteoarthritis in my neck along with several herniated and bulging discs. So, I take lots of muscle relaxers now that I can’t get my shots. Boy they sure helped. I hope that all the work from the people at Jefferson and the letter I am writing will convince them to let me get them again. I really dislike waking up in so much pain.
It makes me very angry at our “insurance for profit” system. Everyone in this country seems scared to death of the words “socialized medicine”. It may be a bit slower, but everyone gets what they need at a reasonable cost. No, doctors don’t get rich, but insurance companies aren’t paying them much for what they do anymore anyway. They have to keep up their profits after all so they can pay their CEO’s millions of dollars. No, we don’t need health care reform in the USA.
Hi, Randy! Thanks so much for your thoughtful and meaningful comment.
I’m sorry for your longtime migraines (sounds like me) and extremely sorry that you can no longer get the injections that worked for you. I agree that in this great country of ours, which can do anything it decides to do, we can’t all get the health care we need.
I hope one of your Congress members sees your comment or that you have an opportunity to send it to them, too!