Hope.
The only Antidote!
PATIENT
C/O VIŇA +
COMPANY,
Phone: 305-441-1591
Volunteer help line: 954-783-6771 – http://www.pandoranet.info
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
Rebecca Artman
Chair of Public Policy
P.A.N.D.O.R.A., Inc. -
Patient
Organization for Research and Advocacy
Business Office: c/o Vina
& Company,
(954) 783-6771
Pat Fero
Executive Director
P.A.N.D.A., Inc – Patient
Sun
(608) 834-1001
Pediatric Pennies
Coral Gables, FL
and Madison, WI — How many
pennies do you come across each year?
This year P.A.N.D.O.R.A., Inc. (Patient Alliance for Neuroendocrineimmune
Disorders Organization for Research and Advocacy) and P.A.N.D.A., Inc. (Patient
Alliance for Neurological Disorders Assistance) invite you to find out by
participating in Pediatric Pennies.
The idea is simple. Find an old jar or box and name it Pediatric
Pennies. Every time you get a
penny, put it in your container. The
project can be for the school year or calendar year. The campaign ends the week of
P.A.N.D.O.R.A. and
P.A.N.D.A. will donate posters for school libraries, school classrooms and
offices. The five schools that raise the
most for this special project will receive a special letter of commendation. Please contact Rebecca Artman at advocacy@pandoranet.info for more details.
We invite you, your
friends, your coworkers, organizations and classmates to participate in this
project. Everyone can be involved in
raising awareness of Pediatric Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Help us find a cure for Pediatric
Neuroendocrineimmune Disorders. Commit
to the Pediatric Pennies project by visiting http://www.pandoranet.info or http://www.panda-clinic.com to help end the
suffering.
P.A.N.D.O.R.A. has set the
goal to raise $6 million dollars in pennies for Pediatric Neuroendocrineimmune
Disorders research and education. Six
million dollars has been the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) fiscal budget
for Adult and Pediatric CFS.
Rebecca Artman, Public
Policy Chair of P.A.N.D.O.R.A. says: “the idea for Pediatric Pennies came to
be when I noticed the way we toss away pennies, as though they are
useless. The people who suffer from
Neuroendocrineimmune Disorders are a lot like those pennies, tossed aside
because the illness is not glamorous”
Pat Fero, Executive
Director of P.A.N.D.A. adds “The situation for children with
Neuroendocrineimmune Disorders is perilous.
Currently, little kids can be pressured and cajoled into participating
in activities they cannot possibly accomplish.
Expectations are out of line with the child's intellectual, emotional,
social and physical abilities. Failure
follows and instead of a growth in self-reliance, these children experience
self-doubt and self-loathing. In middle
school and high school, the situation may worsen to the point where kids drop
out as soon as they are able. It is a no
win situation for kids, parents and school personal. Pediatric Pennies seeks to change the
outlook for school children with these illnesses. With proper diagnosis, a treatment protocol
and accommodations in school curriculum, children with CFS, FM and other
Neuroendocrineimmune disorders can thrive and become healthy adults."
Jill Mclaughlin, the
mother a of child with CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and a nationally
recognized advocate for Children and Adults with CFS states: “There is still a
lack of awareness to the fact that children become ill with CFS; yet many
experts agree that if anything, children are more seriously affected than
adults. My daughter was a very active,
intelligent, social child who was frequently coming down with what we thought
was the flu. We took her to doctors and
she would seem better, only to get sick again.
She missed a good deal of school, but was forced to try to catch up on
her own. It took several years and
visits to several doctors before she was finally diagnosed with CFS in the 6th
grade. We were relieved to have a
diagnosis, but at the time had no idea of the seriousness of the illness.
Due to the general lack of
awareness and misconceptions, as her parents we were reported to the Department
of Social Services because of her frequent school absences. It is abusive to send a child to school when
they are ill, but unfortunately we were accused of neglect because we did not
send her to school. Children are
virtually being punished for being sick…
Without adequate research and treatment, these children and their
families will continue to suffer, not only from the illness itself but from the
ignorance surrounding it."
We invite you to join with
us in using your pennies, to fund research to find a treatment and a cure for
Pediatric Neuroendocrineimmune Disorders.