From The American Pain Foundation:

September provides a unique opportunity to highlight the work organizations and individuals do all year to improve pain treatment, raise awareness, dispel tragic myths and spark much needed change in order for people to get the pain care they deserve.

The first ever National Day of Action for Pain Awareness will be held on Saturday, September 26th, 2009.   On this day, we hope you and your community will join together, share your stories, take pictures, and show the country that together we can make a difference.

This charge is being led by APF’s Power Over Pain Action Network (POPAN). Please visit www.popactionnetwork.org to learn more about the network, the leaders in your state, and visit the Events page to get involved in or post activities happening near you!

Get involved. Sign the petition. Become an advocate for the elimination of the undertreatment of pain. Click on the events page and browse the 40 events scheduled across the country or check out their Action Toolkit and schedule your own event.

If getting involved with the American Pain Foundation is not right for you, how about participating in the Virtual Conference over at Invisible Illness Week? National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week is September 14 – September 18.

From Lisa Copen, founder of Rest Ministries and creator behind National Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week:

Regardless of where one’s spiritual ties are, there is an fundamental human desire to feel understood, to feel like those you love have some idea about what you are going through. One of the most difficult adjustments to illness is that you feel life is passing you by and no one around you even realizes it. We hope through our conference we can provide a place where people find the true source of being validated in their pain, how to live joyfully despite their illness, and of course, we want to increase awareness about how many suffer silently. Like our theme says, ‘A Little Help Gives a Lot of Hope.’ It really does.

In her continuing effort to make a difference Lisa has scheduled four speakers per day giving special presentations and taking calls from you on the phone for an interactive, encouraging, and educational forum that will leave you feeling refreshed and hopeful that chronic illness doesn’t have to define who you are!

But wait, there’s more…

My 30 Things About Me post was another way I am participating in all of the activities Lisa organized and promoted for Invisible Illness Awareness week. And on Monday September 14, my blog post will also be dedicated to increasing awareness of invisible illness. Do you have a blog? Would you like to participate? Sign up at Bloggers Unite and commit yourself to the cause.

Isn’t it encouraging to learn about these efforts to improve our chronic pain and our shine a light on our invisible illness? Even if you are not capable of getting personally involved, take comfort in knowing there is a movement toward progress and change.

In January of this year they began a campaign called Pledge to Care. The Pledge to Care is a way for family members, friends, and healthcare providers to show their support to persons with Fibromyalgia by making a simple pledge.

“Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain  disorder that affects 6 to 10 million Americans, however recent health care reform legislation and biased attitudes towards people with fibromyalgia, continue to prevent them from receiving adequate and appropriate access to medical care,” said Lynne Matallana, president and founder of the National Fibromyalgia Association. “Family members and other caregivers play an important role in the treatment of the person with fibromyalgia, yet many are still not well informed or know how best to care for their loved one. The ‘Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care’ is designed to help raise awareness for fibromyalgia, and provide a tool which will encourage others to join us in our national efforts to insure fibromyalgia patients access to better medical care.”

 

By going to NFA’s website and filling out a simple form, you can join a long list of family members and friends who have already made this pledge. Fibromyalgia is still known as “the invisible illness.”  It is invisible not just because it does not show up on an x-ray or blood test, but it is invisible because it is easy to dismiss or ignore what is not understood. The NFA has made it their mission to develop and execute programs to educate and inform, because with understanding comes compassion, and with compassion there can be progress.

I hope you will all go to the NFA website and complete the Pledge to Care form in support of someone you love who suffers from Fibromyalgia. If it is you that suffers from Fibromyalgia, take the time to direct someone you love to the NFA site and ask them to make this pledge for you. It could be a good step towards educating them about Fibromyalgia and the very real challenges you face every day.

For my family and friends, I would appreciate very much if you took the time to make a pledge for me.  I am very lucky to have such a loving and compassionate support system, but I know that I too could do more to help you understand the realities of Fibromyalgia.  This blog has been a big step for me in that direction.  Now I am taking it a little further and asking you to make a Pledge to Care. If you do make a pledge I would love if you came back here and posted a comment to let me know, or send me an e-mail if you prefer.  Thank you!

UPDATE:

Coincidence! On the same day I wrote a post about The National Fibromyalgia Association, my friend over at The Girl From the Ghetto did the same. Great minds! Check out her comment and then click the link to read her post.

thegirlfromtheghetto

You have got to read my latest post. You can shop @ amazon.com & This organization gets 15% of your sales!!! Feel free to borrow my post and put it here on your site.

http://thegirlfromtheghetto.wordpress.com/2008/12/11/going-to-online-shop-you-can-give-the-national-fibromyalgia-association-15-of-your-sales/