From On the Road to a Cure:
March 3, 2009 is the Lupus Foundation of America’s 11th Annual Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Even if you cannot physically join us on Tuesday, there are still several things you – and your family and friends – can do to help raise awareness about the seriousness of lupus.
I do encourage everyone to choose one or more of the recommended activities and participate this coming Tuesday.
Here’s a few easy ways to let everyone know that you support Lupus research and the Lupus Foundation of America, using a couple of the social networking tools we all seem to spend so much time using.
Facebook
There is one very simple thing you can do in Facebook. Below is suggested text that you can use for your status on your Facebook account for Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Encourage your family and friends to change their statuses as well.
“YOUR NAME is encouraging friends and family to support the LFA’s Advocacy Day. Tell Congress 50 years without a new FDA-approved lupus drug is too long http://www.capwiz.com/lfa”
Twitter
If you have a Twitter account and are joining us for Advocacy Day, you can “tweet” your Advocacy Day experience. You might want to post updates such as “Heading to Capitol Hill now” or “Meeting with Senator Young.”
If you’re not able to be on Capitol Hill, you can still use your Twitter account to encourage people to call their Senators and Representatives, and raise awareness about the need for new, safe, tolerable, and effective treatments. Below are some suggested “tweets.”
“Support LFA’s Advocacy Day tomorrow. Tell Congress 50 years without a new FDA-approved lupus drug is too long. http://www.capwiz.com/lfa”
“Join me and call Congress and tell them 50 years without a new FDA-approved lupus drug is too long. http://www.capwiz.com/lfa”
I recently cancelled my Twitter account, but perhaps I will activate a new account that is just centered around this blog. More on my to do list.
Oddly enough, the most dramatic example of this reaction happens in the doctor’s office. Those small brightly lit rooms make my wife butterfly almost immediately. I remember that some of the doctors were amazed at how quickly it happens. One doctor actually turned the lights out and then went to get a colleague in order to show him how quickly it happens.