What's wrong? 8,000 visitors, and only 1,500 took action

Thank you to those who shared about and joined many of us in participating in the Virtual March on Washington during September's Pain Awareness Month. Your voices were heard. You're making a difference.
The American Pain Foundation tells us that this September was the best yet for pain awareness. A recent press release stated,

"The Virtual March received more than 8,000 visitors and over 1,500 people took action by joining the march, sending letters to their legislators and submitting comments to the FDA regarding Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS). Seventy-three collaborating organizations endorsed the march and utilized their resources to help spread the word and raise awareness. Thank you for helping to alert our legislators to this critical healthcare crisis and request their help for change."

Thank you indeed!


But let's take just a moment to look at those numbers. 8,000 visitors, and only 1,500 took the time (from several seconds to a few minutes) to DO something about improving pain policy, even when the APF provided them with links and a pre-written form that only needed their name and a click on the send button.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect says that, when a butterfly flaps its wings in a field in here, he may cause a hurricane somewhere across the world. (Now, hold that thought...)

So, why the numbers disparity?

I participated in a group not too long ago, in which a Health Activist stated frustration with some of her community members. I was a little shocked when she used the dreaded words "whine" and "whiners". I thought her perhaps a little callous, until she told us that for all those hundreds of people complaining, a dismal handful chose to actually do something about their situation by becoming active in creating awareness in Washington DC for their condition or even with their local legislators during a recent legislative awareness campaign.

What does action really mean?

Alicia Stales has been talking quite a bit about the pinkification of breast cancer. People assume that if they buy something pink they are helping find a cure for the disease, when in fact the results are not being seen. It allows people to be passive. They thought about it. They spent a couple bucks and now get to wear something everyone recognizes that says they care, but what did they really do? If we buy something pink we tend to feel like we've done our part, and that's enough.


I think we can do better.

Make our whines matter!

There are plenty of ways to make your voice heard where it matters. Contacting your legislators used to be difficult before the internet. Now it takes only a couple key punches and the deed is done. The APF says:


"It is the job of your legislators to represent the interests of their constituents. It is your job to make those interests known! The first step to getting involved in policy or legislative advocacy is to
identify your representatives. Who are your national and state
representatives? Go to www.congress.org and enter your zip code to find these answers."


Sites like the American Pain Foundation have special places to go to learn how to advocate, regardless if chronic pain is your health passion. As a matter of fact, they even provide you with a kit that makes it easy for anyone to step up to the plate. If that wasn't enough, try this link for helpful tips what to say and do when you contact your legislator.


If you happen to be a chronic pain patient, consider letting your voice be heard in the 10,000 voices campaign. Tell your story here.


But, the easiest thing of all, is getting involved when you are contacted by an organization near and dear to your Health Activist's heart. Take 60 seconds to click on the links they provide and send that email to your congressman/woman. Then, share the link with others in your communities. You may not think that what you've done is important, but it is. You may be one by yourself and change someone's mind because they didn't know something you sh owed them. You may be part of 8000 people who send 8000 emails, and the sheer number of us all causes a change.


You may be the butterfly...