To Wayne (Tex)

[dolson]

To Tex:
Here is a sample letter to our congressman/senator asking for funding for MC research at NIH. I tweeked it to support MC, so you may want to do additional tweeking since this is your forum and you have written several books on our disease. If you have any questions, give me a holler. Dorothy


Date
The Honorable ________
Office Address
United States House of Representatives/United State Senate
City, State, Zip

Dear Representative/Senator ______________: 
As a constituent, I urge you to support funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH research is the foundation for future medical breakthroughs, which will save lives and money. The federal government’s investment in research must be sustained in order to translate today’s scientific findings into tomorrow’s bedside treatments. NIH funding supports research in Microscopic colitis (MC) which is an inflammatory bowel disease characterized by chronic, bloodless diarrhea with normal or close to normal endoscopic findings. Histopathological examination reveals two subtypes: collagenous colitis (CC) and lymphocytic colitis (LC), which are indistinguishable clinically. Recent discoveries, such as those listed below, are a direct result of robust funding for the NIH: 

Multiple studies have investigated different mechanisms that might be involved in the development of mucosal inflammation in MC.

Budesonide seems to affect the mucosal barrier function, it has anti-proliferative effects on the epithelial cells, which might impair wound healing. During significant mucosal injury, it dampens the immune response, causing bacterial translocation and endotoxemia.

MC patients have a higher prevalence of certain diseases, including a number of autoimmune pathologies. The diseases most commonly found to coexist with MC are bile acid diarrhea and autoimmune diseases such as celiac disease, thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus (DM) and rheumatoid arthritis.

Since the first description of MC is 1982, it has become clear that the condition occurs quite often.

According to several reports there is a steady increase in MC incidence, almost comparable to the incidence of other IBDs, such as ulcerative colitis (UC) or Crohn’s disease (CD).

[Insert brief paragraph about your personal story with MC here.]

The money invested in NIH is redistributed to communities across the nation, including our district/state to create jobs and stimulates the local economy. A federal investment in basic research is an investment in the heath and economic future of our nation. Please make medical and health research a higher priority for our nation by continuing the investment in the NIH. Thank you for your consideration and please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss this issue further.
Sincerely, 
Your Name
Your Title
Your Address
Your City, State, Zip
Your Phone Number 

[tex]

Hi Dorothy,

Thanks. I've copied that letter and I should be able to tweak it to fit the specific purposes I have in mind. I appreciate your help.

Thanks again,

Tex