| Introduction | The May 12 Event | Contact Government Officials |
| Contact Media Outlets | Poster | CIND Organizations | A Guide to CIND |
| Florence Nightingale Biography | For More Information |

Contacting Government Officials

Sample Letter

(C)opyright 1997-1999 RESCIND, Inc.

By Tom Hennessy, Nancy Solo, Paula Carnes, Maryka Ford, Lucie Dorais, Roger Burns & Chip Davis

United States

NOTE: If you cannot find your Congressperson or Senator listed here, you can find his/her address, phone, fax, e-mail address, and district office/phone in the C-Span Congressional Directory at: http://congress.nw.dc.us/c-span/congdir.html

You may also purchase from C-Span, "The 1999 U.S. Congressional Directory" on CD, which contains useful information on the first session of the 106th Congress.The U.S. Congressional Directory is a photographic directory of the members of the U.S. House and Senate. It provides addresses, phone numbers, committee assignments, as well as biographical information about each member of Congress. The publication also offers addresses and phones numbers for the White House, selected federal agencies, the Supreme Court and the nation's governors. The publication also has a section describing C-SPAN's operations, history and departments.  The price is $15.95.

 Important Members of the 106th Congress
in Washington, D.C.

Miscellaneous Senators of the 106th Congress in Washington, D.C.  20510

Miscellaneous Representatives of the 106th Congress in Washington, D.C.

Senate Appropriations Committee
106th Congress
S-128 Capitol Building
Washington, D.C.  20510
Phone:  (202) 224-3471

Department of Health and Human Services
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Institutes of Health

United Kingdom

Canada

http://canada.gc.ca/main_e.html

Australia

New Zealand

Denmark

 For information on activities in Denmark, go to http://home12.inet.tele.dk/carpntry

Sample Letter

The following is a sample letter regarding the need for attention to CIND matters for government officials.  Feel free to write your own, more personal letter if you prefer.

 Dear (name):

 Since you are an influential official who can command a great deal of attention on specific issues, I am writing to alert you that we are approaching May 12th, which is International Awareness Day for Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases.  CIND illnesses include: M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, the term used in most of the world) / CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, the term used by the U.S. government); Fibromyalgia Syndrome; Gulf War Syndrome; and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity Syndrome. These are devastating illnesses that are striking a growing number of people around the world – a fact to which I can sadly personally attest.  Under the May 12th International Awareness Day charter, they have been combined under the umbrella of CIND based on existing research and commonality of symptoms.

 These illnesses, characterized by cognitive problems, chronic muscle and joint pain, extremely poor stamina, and numerous other symptoms, leave many sufferers ill and bedridden for years at a time.  The toll that this sudden disability takes on families, not to mention the national economy, is enormous.  I don't want to inundate you with piles of paperwork that may or may not be of interest to you, but RESCIND, Inc, has a website with hundreds of links to literally thousands of pages of research and commentary.  RESCIND, Inc. (Repeal Existing Stereotypes about Chronic Immunological and Neurological Diseases), is a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation.   Please take a moment to visit this website at http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/4277.

It is important to note that the May 12th date was chosen to memorialize the birth date of Florence Nightingale, the English army nurse who inspired the founding of the International Red Cross.  Nightingale contracted a paralyzing, CIND-like illness in her mid-thirties and spent the last 50 years of her life virtually bedridden.

 If a cause and cure are to be found for CIND in the near future, the government and the medical community must respond MUCH more vigorously.  I implore you to use your substantial power as a public servant to see that this happens.  May 12th of this year should mark the beginning of a new era of thorough medical investigation into CIND.

 Sincerely yours,

 (name)

 NOTE: if you write to a President or a Prime Minister, you should address the letter to “Dear Mr. President:” or “Dear Mr. Prime Minister:” and end it with “Yours faithfully,”.  All the other persons can be addressed as “Dear Mr. ...” or “Dear Mrs./Ms. ...”.

 To send an e-mail message, click on the hyperlink for the recipient(s).  If you would like to send a letter or fax, simply copy and paste the name(s) and address(es), as well as the sample letter (optional), into your word processing program.  You can then edit the letter and use that template to write to multiple recipients.

| Introduction | The May 12 Event | Contact Government Officials |
| Contact Media Outlets | Poster | CIND Organizations | A Guide to CIND |
| Florence Nightingale Biography | For More Information |