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Congressional Connection

Step 1: Get this letter ready to send

The copy below has been provided as a template for your own congressional letter. Use it as is, or include your own NF story. Feel free to make any changes to the copy below them select “copy to clip board” option. Then use the Congress.org link below to find your Congressional Representatives. Search your Congressional Representative website until you find their “contact us” form. Then paste your letter into the form. It is important to include your name and address with your letter.

Dear [ insert their title and name ]: As someone affected by Neurofibromatosis (NF), I am writing to ask for your support of Neurofibromatosis research through both the Department of Defense (DoD) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I specifically ask for your support for the DoD to continue the Army’s highly successful Neurofibromatosis Research Program, and to the Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, seeking the inclusion of Report language on NF research. Thanks to the subcommittee’s past support, significant advances in NF research have been made over the past years and researchers are now on the threshold of a treatment and a cure for this terrible disease. NF involves the uncontrolled growth of tumors along the nervous system, which can result in terrible disfigurement, deformity, deafness, blindness, brain tumors, cancer and death. NF is the most common neurological disorder caused by a single gene and it affects approximately 100,000 Americans. However, because of NF’s close connection to many common diseases and disorders, such as cancer, learning disabilities, heart disease, memory loss, and brain tumors, research on NF stands to benefit 175 million Americans in this generation alone. The modest investment in NF research has already resulted in major breakthroughs toward a treatment and a cure for this terrible disease. However, I believe that we must continue to invest in research if we are to continue to advance toward treatments and cures for the numerous diseases associated with NF. I thank you for your consideration of this request and I look forward to working with you as we advance toward treatments and cures for NF and the numerous diseases with which NF is associated. Sincerely, [ insert your name ]

Step 2: Find Your Representatives

Select an Elected Representative from the site below to send your message.

congress.org