It is extremely important that everyone call or email their representatives asking them to cosponsor the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act. but today it is especially critical that our Los Angeles friends tell Representative Henry Waxman that his support is needed.
Representative Henry Waxman is key to the success of the SMA bill. As the chair of the Energy and Commerce committee, his support is extremely powerful. Waxman has yet to endorse the SMA Treatment Acceleration Act and we need him to know that it matters to you. Please take a few minutes to call or email his office (or do so again if you already have) to urge Mr. Waxman to get behind SMA research!!! Your voice matters and the SMA community needs you!
Washington number: 202-225-3976
Los Angeles number: 310-652-3095
http://www.henrywaxman.house.gov
Remember you will only have a few minutes on the phone. Here are some points to make:
- Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) kills more children than any other inherited disease. Approximately 1 in 40 individuals carries the gene that causes SMA.Presently, there is no known treatment for SMA, though there have been several exciting research breakthroughs over the past decade. Among more than 600 neurological disorders, SMA has been identified by the National Institutes of Health as being one of the diseases closest to treatment based on scientists advanced genetic understanding of the disease.
- The SMA Treatment Acceleration Act provides federal support to complement the substantial private funding that national nonprofit organizations are investing to find a treatment for SMA. Passage of this landmark legislation will enable investigators to mount national clinical trials to demonstrate that identified therapeutics are safe and effective for SMA patients.
- This legislation will do more than help to find the cure for SMA. It will provide a framework from which research into a cure to other neurological disorders can be found, including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's disease, ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease), and many, many others.
Thank you so much for your help!!!
PS — Did you see PetitionToCureSMA.com is almost to 90,000!!!!