MY LETTER TO THE EDITOR WILL BE PUBLISHED!!

From: Shawna French (http://www.frenchysha@yahoo.com)
Thu Sep 19 14:42:24 2002


Fellow ard friends, I sat down this a.m. and composed a letter in which I like many of you have hopes of helping others be aware of our fight and educational awareness. Our town consists of approxamately 8,500 people, our local editor red my letter and agreed to publish it! He said it was well written and informative. I feel if i touch only a few lives my efforts will be well worth it. Here is my letter: Dear Editor; Did you ever have a medical problem, the Drs. did every test they could and found nothing? It seems to be such a controversial issue among Drs. that if they cannot see, feel, and touch pain it does not exsist. Many drs.believe in listening to the patients, as we know our bodies well, others excuse us with anything they can as we are frustrating cases to them, or it is all in our minds. Sept. 23-29 is Invisible Cronic Illness Awareness Week,I encourage our communities to educate themselves about an illness called ARd (Adhesion Related disease). If you encounter surgery in your life, adhesions form, they are rubber band like scar tissue and in most cases it is minimal. In others the adhesions grow at such an alarming rate and attach to organs, intestines, in which cause a variety of medical problems including phenominal amounts of pain. Drs. will often perform a laporoscopy surgery when tests come back neg to find adhesions are bound tightly everywhere. They cut them out, put a barrier in to help block more growth. If the barrier does not work, you are then suseptible to regrowth and it will get worse each and every time. i know personally about the affects of ARD as I live with severe adhesions every day. It is a debilitating illness and I have not been well enough to work for 6 years plus have had continual surgeries for this illness. I emplore to each and everyone in our community to educate yourself on ARD, as it is a recognized illness in only 2 states, New York and Wisc.There are 2 web sites for more info International Adhesion Society and bombobeach.com, ther you will find my story among so many others like me. One day you could have a family member ( or you do right now) with ARD and not even know it unless you educate yourself. This disease needs awareness and support so we can bring it to attention of our Drs. as well as congress. Please support our fight by contacting david Wiseman of the IAS so we cannot only be treated better medically but also with our dignity still in tact. There are so many people in our world that suffer this silent illness and only we as communities can make a difference. Sincerely, Shawna French

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