National Fibromyalgia Association to Host Press Conference at National Press Club on January 24, 2008

[Guest guest]

From Corin Walson <cwalson@...>:

NOTE: Due to the high volume of responses to this event, members of

the media will be given seating priority. All other attendees, please

RSVP to April Quinn at aquinn@... <mailto:aquinn@...>

for space availability.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

21 January 2008

For More Information: Corin Walson, APR

714-921-8850 (w)

714-865-4147 ©

" The Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care "

National Fibromyalgia Association to Unveil Unprecedented Call to Action

During Press Conference at National Press Club

Ambassador L. Bremer, III and Wife, Frances to be Presented as

NFA's National Spokespersons

ANAHEIM, Calif.---The National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) will be

presenting Ambassador L. Bremer III and his wife, Frances

Winfield Bremer, as the NFA's new spokespersons to unveil " The

Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care " on January 24, 2008 at the National

Press Club in Washington, D.C. starting at 9:00 a.m.

The Pledge is made up of three parts, including " The National

Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care " ; " The Caregiver's Pledge to Care " ; and

" The Health Care Provider's Pledge to Care. "

During the press conference, the NFA will announce, through the

Pledges, the details of an unprecedented national " call to action " to

patients, policymakers, business leaders and the media to respond to

the scientific, medical and caregiving challenges faced by the

fibromyalgia population.

" 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. "

Participants to speak at the press conference include:

Frances Winfield Bremer Spokesperson, National Fibromyalgia

Association Washington, D.C.

Frances Winfield Bremer, wife of Ambassador L. Bremer, III,

became the spokesperson for the National Fibromyalgia Association in

October 2007. In the early years of their diplomatic career, the

Bremers served in Africa where Frances " Francie " Bremer contracted

malaria-twice. A few years and two children later, they were posted

back to Washington and she began to suffer from widespread pain that

she described to her husband as feeling like she was being " roasted

on a spit. " After numerous tests by her primary physician to try to

identify the cause of the problem, he sent her to a rheumatologist

who diagnosed her with fibromyalgia. Nearly 25 years after her

diagnosis, Francie Bremer has learned to live with this disorder that

affects up to 10 million other Americans but is still relatively

unknown and underfunded. A teacher, writer and artist, Francie copes

with her illness through rest, medication, and her faith. Mrs. Bremer

is not being compensated by the National Fibromyalgia Association for

her role as spokesperson.

Ambassador L. Bremer, III Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Bremer was appointed Presidential Envoy to Iraq in 2003 by

President W. Bush. As her spouse and primary caregiver, Amb.

Bremer will be supporting his wife's advocacy by making joint media

appearances with her in the upcoming year. Amb. Bremer says he wants

to help Francie raise awareness of fibromyalgia and highlight the

importance of the role family members play in the care of the person

with fibromyalgia. Amb. Bremer is the author of My Year In Iraq

(Simon Schuster 2006).

J. Clauw, M.D.

Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI

Clauw is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of

Rheumatology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann

Arbor. He serves as Executive Director of the Chronic Pain and

Fatigue Research Center and Director of the Center for the

Advancement of Clinical Research at the University of Michigan.

Additionally, he was appointed Assistant Dean for Clinical and

Translational Research within the University of Michigan Medical

School in 2004. Dr. Clauw is committed to the clinical care and

research into overlapping conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic

fatigue syndrome and Gulf War illnesses. He leads a multidisciplinary

team of collaborators at the University of Michigan, town

University, the NIH, Department of Defense and Veteran's

Administration, and other academic medical centers, who are studying

the mechanisms and most effective treatments of these illnesses.

Lynne Matallana President & Founder, National Fibromyalgia

Association, Anaheim, CA

Lynne Matallana founded the National Fibromyalgia Association in

1997, two years after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Ms.

Matallana is widely recognized for her commitment to raising

awareness of fibromyalgia. She has received many honors, including

2008 Advocacy for People with Pain Award from the American Academy of

Pain Management, and the United States Food and Drug Administration

(FDA) Commissioner's Special Citation. She also serves as a member of

the FDA Patient Representative Advisory Committee. Her dedication to

helping others with the condition has led to many leadership

opportunities in the fibromyalgia community. Ms. Matallana serves as

a board member for the Fibromyalgia Research & Education Center at

California State University, Fullerton; Department of Health

Sciences' Community Advisory Board; and Women with Pain Coalition.

She is also the Editor-In-Chief of the NFA's award winning magazine,

Fibromyalgia AWARE, and published a book with Penguin Putnam Press,

The Complete Idiot's Guide to: Fibromyalgia.

B. Wood, MD

Chief Medical Officer, Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC

Chief Medical Advisor, National Fibromyalgia Association

Dr. Wood is Chief Medical Officer for Angler Biomedical Technologies,

a private company whose primary focus is improving the understanding

and treatment of fibromyalgia. He formerly directed the Fibromyalgia

Research Program and Fibromyalgia Care Clinic at LSU Health Sciences

Center, where he served as assistant professor in the Department of

Family Medicine with adjunct appointments in the Departments of

Anesthesiology and Psychiatry. Dr. Wood attended medical school and

completed residency training in Family Medicine at LSU Health Science

Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. Following his residency, he

undertook an additional research fellowship in Psychopharmacology and

Neuroimaging within the LSU Department of Psychiatry. He has also

served as Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Research on Pain at

McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he evaluated the

reactivity of mesolimbic dopamine in response to noxious stimulation

in patients with fibromyalgia. He has been twice recognized by the

National Institutes of Health for his innovative research.

About the National Fibromyalgia Association: The National

Fibromyalgia Association is a non-profit 501©(3) organization whose

mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the

quality of life for people with fibromyalgia by increasing the

awareness of the public, media, government and medical communities.

www.FMaware.org <http://www.fmaware.org/>

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