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ZenArcher

Senior member
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
676
Reason
PALS
Diagnosis
02/2007
Country
US
State
PA
City
McEwensville
Please go to http://capwiz.com/alsa/home/

Under Find Your Officials enter your zip code and click Go.

Ensure that Federal is selected and click your Representative.

Click the link next to E-mail.

As a subject enter H.R. 5454

If it requests an Issue Area select Veterans Affairs

In the Editable Text paste the following:

Independence Day, a day to spend with family and friends barbequing, playing games, watching fireworks and parades and celebrating our Declaration of Independence. It is a celebration of patriotism and a time to remember those that have given the highest sacrifice in defense of that independence.

Unfortunately there were 10 less family and friends to celebrate with this past July 4th. Their lives were taken from them by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Even more unfortunate is the fact that there were 10 others that were more than likely too devastated to celebrate due to their recent diagnosis. Everyday 10 people lose their fight with ALS and everyday 10 more unfortunate souls step into the ring to take their place. Studies have shown that veterans are twice as likely to develop ALS regardless of where or when they served. This means that while we were celebrating somewhere between 2 and 5 individuals who volunteered to put their lives on the line to give us that right passed away. At the same time their replacements were told they had 2 to 5 years to live. Of the over 2000 veterans who were enrolled in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) ALS Registry in the last 4 years less than 900 are alive today.

ALS, sometimes called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells (neurons) responsible for controlling voluntary muscles. In ALS, both the upper motor neurons and the lower motor neurons degenerate or die, ceasing to send messages to muscles. Unable to function, the muscles gradually weaken, waste away, and twitch. Eventually the ability of the brain to start and control voluntary movement is lost. Individuals with ALS lose their strength and the ability to move their arms, legs, and body. When muscles in the diaphragm and chest wall fail, individuals lose the ability to breathe without ventilatory support. The disease does not affect a person's ability to see, smell, taste, hear, or recognize touch, and it does not usually impair a person’s thinking or other cognitive abilities. However, several recent studies suggest that a small percentage of patients may experience problems with memory or decision-making, and there is growing evidence that some may even develop a form of dementia.

Sadly although multiple studies have linked military service as well as many of the things our veterans are exposed to on a daily basis to ALS the VA will not service connect the majority of those diagnosed. While fighting for their lives from a disease which science has linked to military service they must also fight for benefits they earned and were promised. H.R. 5454 will help those veterans with ALS by granting them presumptive service connection. Please help our veterans who are suffering from this horrible disease by cosponsoring H.R. 5454. Thank you for your time and support.

Complete the rest of the form with your information and click Send Message. If you can then please post that you've sent the message and to whom.

My representative Christopher Carney is already a cosponsor. Current cosponsors can be seen at http://capwiz.com/legion/issues/bills/?bill=11365471&cs_party=all&cs_status=C&cs_state=ALL
 
Thanks Zen.
I've sent the message to Bob Goodlatte (R-VA 6th).
Luckily, he's already a cosponsor of the ALS Registry Act.

Peace,
Jane
 
Good. Just an FYI I've heard rumors that the registry should be voted on and with the number of cosponsors we have passed before the fall recess. If that happens then the budget stuff will happen the beginning of next year and we should be on our way. Now all we can do is hope the rumors are true.
 
Hi, Jeff ... sent an e-mail to Brad Sherman-D, of Southern California Will pass your text and link on to friends in California and Ohio.
 
The more the merrier :-D
 
Please go to http://capwiz.com/alsa/home/

Complete the rest of the form with your information and click Send Message. If you can then please post that you've sent the message and to whom.

Hi ... e-mailed Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Cal, 31st district) and Adam Schiff (D-Cal, 29th dist.)

Beth
 
your ALS message was also e-mailed by a another constituant to her congressman, who is Ralph Regula. (Republican, Ohio 16th district.)

(I edited the message a little bit before sending to friends. Hope you don't mind.
Tried to get the lede up higher in the story and also shorten it so that it would hold their attention better.)

Good luck with this. I sure hope this is passed
beth
 
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Edit to your hearts content. I just write them to make it simpler so more people will send them. As long as we make sure our legislators know we're here and try to make them understand ALS I'm all for it no matter how its done.
 
2 More sent.

I sent mine to Mark Pryor and John Bozeman for Arkansas. i wonder if I could send it to the Louisiana ones as that was where my mother lived before she lost her battle to ALS?

Keep it going!
 
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