Participating in Lupus Advocacy Day from Home

Although I couldn't be in Washington D.C. today for Lupus Advocacy Day, I decided to help out by calling all my congress people at their D.C. offices. I had never done this before, and was surprisingly nervous when I made my first call, to my house representative. The guy who answered the phone was really nice. He listened to my mini-speech and my request for help, and then he told me that the congressman was aware of Advocacy Day and would try to help out. He even took my name and address so that they could keep me posted on any progress. I had expected a quick, "Thank you for your call," response, so I was unexpectedly touched by the actual response. I even teared up a little. When I hung up the phone, I felt good about doing something. It was only one phone call, but it was still something. It was easy, too, and I did it from the comfort of my chair. My nerves were better, so I moved down the list and called both of my senators. One of them knew all about advocacy day, and the other, well, let's just say that the guy who answered the phone must have needed a little more coffee. I'm not sure how successful that phone call was, but at least I know I tried.

If you haven't contacted your congressional peeps, I would encourage to do so. Fifty years is a long time to go without any new drugs approved for treating lupus. The Lupus Foundation has a link to help you find your reps and to help you decide what to say when you do call. You can find that page here. So, what are you still reading for? Follow that link and make those calls.