Sample Letter to Representative or Senator

Honorable name of your representative_____
address______________________________
city___________State_______Zip________

 Dear Representative/Senator____________

The purpose of this letter is to request your support for the following issues that are of great importance to me. I have lived in your district/state for no. of years and vote in every election.

A disease known as Pulmonary Fibrosis has had a devastating effect on members of my family. It is an illness that currently affects more than 200,000 people in the United States. Approximately 40,000 of our citizens die from it each year. This is the same amount as those who die from breast cancer. It is more than those who die from ovarian or prostate cancer and forty times more that those who die from Cystic Fibrosis. 

At this time there is no cure for Pulmonary Fibrosis and death usually occurs two to four years after diagnosis. The cause of death is usually respiratory failure as a result of increased scarring of the air sacs in the lungs interfering with their ability to transfer oxygen to the bloodstream. The age of onset for the disease is between 40 and 70, although in recent years, individuals of a younger age have been affected.

I would like your support in the following areas:

1. Vote to increase the budget of the National Institute of Health. In the past monies allocated to the NIH have resulted in biomedical breakthroughs that have more than repaid our investments in this institute.

2. Write a letter to the National Institute of Health asking them to increase their funding for research in lung diseases. Lung disease is currently the third leading cause of death in the United States. While the rate of deaths for heart disease and cancer (numbers 1 and 2) have been decreasing, the mortality rate for lung disease has been on the rise.

3. Write a letter to the Director of the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute asking that they increase funding for research on Pulmonary Fibrosis. Pulmonary Fibrosis is currently the most under funded of all the lung diseases.

4. Write a letter to the Center for Disease Control asking that they put out a position paper on Pulmonary Fibrosis. Pulmonary Fibrosis is frequently misdiagnosed as Asthma, Emphysema or one of the various strains of Pneumonias. Most Internists and many Pulmonologists are unfamiliar with the disease and are unable to either diagnose or effectively treat the illness. Early diagnosis and treatment significantly increases the life expectancy of the victims of this disease.

I would greatly appreciate your consideration and action on the above issues. They are extremely important to me and members of my family. I feel certain that upon reflection they will be just as important to you. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Respectfully,

Your Name____________