OT - Help for a friend of mine

[shelaghcol]

My apologies for the off-topic posting, but I'm sure once you've read 
the following you'll understand the reason.

Thanks

A lovely lady and friend of mine from the Lord of the Rings Fanclub 
membership boards is asking for some simple but very important help. 
I didn't want to change the wording of her posting, but obviously 
those here don't know Marsha or her condition - that said:

**********************************************************

You may know that I have an incurable disease called Pulmonary 
Hypertension.  For those who didn't know this, I'll give you a brief 
explanation if you'll bear with me.  Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a 
rare lung disease that causes the arteries that carry oxygenated 
blood from the heart to the lungs to constrict, reducing the oxygen 
flow to the lungs.   This causes the heart to work harder trying to 
deliver oxygenated blood to the lungs.   The disease is progressive, 
and over time the arteries can constrict further, eventually leading 
to lung and heart failure.  There are a few categories of Pulmonary 
Hypertension.  The one I have is Primary Pulmonary Hypertension 
(PPH), and it is the most difficult to treat.  Fortunately for me, my 
disease was detected in early stages and is being medically managed 
at the present time, though the future is unknown.   Most people with 
this disease are not so fortunate, since early detection is  
difficult.  Historically, PPH has a very poor prognosis, but, with 
early detection and treatment the prognosis is improving.  There is
presently a congressional bill, introduced by Congressman Kevin Brady 
of Texas, that would provide $25 Million per year to fund medical 
research for Pulmonary Hypertension in all forms, including  PPH.

I am part of a support group for people with PPH.  We have banded 
together to actively lobby for the passage of this potentially life 
saving bill.  The bill, H.R. 1297, was introduced over a year ago, 
and has not even begun to move through congress.  During the past 
year, some members of our group have died, and sadly we've added many 
newly diagnosed members.  Since early detection can prolong these 
lives until a cure can be discovered, H.R. 1297 could save the lives 
of some of my friends who have PPH.  As our first action, we have 
drafted an online thank you letter to Representative Kevin Brady for 
his efforts on behalf of people with this deadly disease.  Soon we
will be printing this letter and the signatures it accumulates for 
hand delivery to Representative Brady.  If you would take the time to 
click on this link and sign our letter, we would all be very grateful 
to you.  If you know people who might be willing to support medical 
research for Pulmonary Hypertension, please consider forwarding this 
message to them.

You can find the letter here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/HR1297/petition.html

Thank you,
Marsha O'Neill
Lonevoice