Publicity ideas for pulmonary fibrosis

[Guest guest]

As I was reading literature from Gift of Life Speakers Training, I thought some of these ideas would be good for pulmonary fibrosis.

Here’s a list of places to present, if you can’t speak, bring family or friends with you who can speak for you. Bring literature with you to hand out. Make a poster for display.

Religious institutions–churches, synagogues, men’s clubs, women’s clubs, sisterhoods

Educational institutions–schools, colleges, health classes, individual classes, PTAs

Civic Organizations–Rotary, Lion’s Club,

Health Fairs–set up a table with literature

Social Groups– Social Club meetings/ breakfast, luncheon, dinner meetings

Senior Centers

Community Centers

Libraries

Hospitals and Medical Centers–"in-service training" – there are a lot of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel who don’t know much about pulmonary fibrosis, perhaps meeting someone with the disease will make a difference in their training and/or practice

Support groups– since rehab groups seem to have mostly COPD members, maybe those of us with pulmonary fibrosis can present or bring in literature

Messages on telephone answering machine– if it’s a wrong number, the person might hang up and say "What in the world is Pulmonary Fibrosis?"

Local television talk show

Local radio talk show where people call in

Reunions–high school or college

AARP meetings

Local newspaper writers, editors

Local sporting events, including little league, set up a display table with literature

Shopping centers, malls, department stores, supermarkets–set up display tables with literature

Maybe your grandchildren, children, nieces or nephews could do a research paper on pulmonary fibrosis to present to the class; talk to the teacher or principal about doing a poster contest for pulmonary fibrosis

Create a bumper sticker– I wonder if blank bumper stickers can be purchased at an office supply store, or craft store such as Staples, ’s, AC , Joanne Fabrics

Do it yourself t-shirts for yourselves, family and friends

My vision of a poster is a large butterfly with details about the disease in each wing, either words or pictures [include a picture or drawing of someone with a "hose in his/her nose"] or a dragon without its fire

Sources for literature: Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation [acorn], Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis [butterfly], internet

The idea is that if we start publicizing on a small scale, maybe it will grow and be recognized on a larger scale.

Some people have managed to get published in local Newspapers [Peggy and someone in Arizona].

Tell your personal story with the disease, keep it short and to the point. Present the facts.

Limit the negatives. Give some statistics. Tell the audience where they can get more information.

You need to contact the appropriate people for permission to do this.

Sometimes I have the ideas, I need to motivate myself to act on them.

Pink Joyce IPF 3/06 Pennsylvania