One of the many things that unites facial pain patients the is the desire for our conditions to be better known. Awareness brings research dollars. Research is our best hope for the thing we most desire: better treatments and, eventually, a cure. But increased awareness requires activism.
You may be thinking, “How can I be an activist for facial pain awareness when I often can’t even leave my bedroom?” Although you may often be unable to participate in the more typical forms of activism, such as demonstrations and visiting your congresspersons, YOU are still a force with which to be reckoned and you can make a difference.
A powerful form of activism is letter writing. You can make great strides towards better facial pain awareness by reaching out to politicians, journalists, and other people in the legislative, media, and medical communities with well written and frequent letters. Most of these folks are available via email, and you can use old fashioned “snail mail” when email isn’t an option.
A letter is most effective when it is written in a personal way, conveying some of the human side of a medical condition, but if you need some inspiration or you want to use a pre-defined framework for your letter, please take a look at the letter templates below. They are here for your use and you are allowed (and encouraged!) to use them often.
