Contact the ATA Right Now — 3 Minutes to Make a Difference

[twa]

Hi there,

My first ever comment on this forum.

I think a lot more people would email the ATA if they had an example email to copy paste from.

I'm not native English speaker, so someone else could have drafted this better.

Anyway, here's my proposal for a template if you want to copy paste it:

To whom it may concern,

I read the American Tinnitus Association has received a bequest of $2.7 million.

Please use this bequest wisely. Invest it exclusively in research focused on finding a cure for tinnitus.

I'm a member of the Tinnitus Talk forums. Please check out the discussion thread below to keep the ATA up to date on the needs of the tinnitus patient community. Please engage in conversation with me and others who are hoping you use the bequest as effectively as possible:

https://www.tinnitustalk.com/posts/569992/

Sincerely,

Nice job!

twa

 

[Orions Pain]

Done!

 

[buttercake]

Done!

No answer from the ATA.

 

[Snake]

Done.

 

[Shizune]

Sent a few days ago with no reply.

 

[Watasha]

@Orions Pain, @buttercake, @Snake: Thank you all! This certainly helps to make a difference! Keep us posted if you get a response.

 

[Watasha]

Sent a few days ago with no reply.

That's okay. Truthfully, if they catch wind that it's all coming from one place they may be less inclined to respond but the message will still have been sent, believe me. There are board members who aren't messing around and want to see a larger focus on research funding.

 

[Shizune]

That's okay. Truthfully, if they catch wind that it's all coming from one place they may be less inclined to respond but the message will still have been sent, believe me. There are board members who aren't messing around and want to see a larger focus on research funding.

I sure hope they listen to us and don't just see us as a group of angry negative complainers who haven't habituated due to not having a "positive attitude".

 

[Watasha]

I sure hope they listen to us and don't just see us as a group of angry negative complainers who haven't habituated due to not having a "positive attitude".

I know what you're saying. We cannot control whether they choose to listen or not but we can help to motivate them and we can control our tone.

They are in fact a partner in this fight and to put it simply, they have $2.7M and we do not.

All we can do is what we can do. I assure you that there are people there listening if we can reach them, but they will not listen if we come across as angry and attacking. There are people there doing the best they know how and we have to remember the humanity of all those involved, even in suffering.

 

[Ken219]

There are people there doing the best they know how and we have to remember the humanity of all those involved, even in suffering.

Hopefully 'there are people there doing the best they know how'.

Too much greed in the world.

 

[Watasha]

Hopefully 'there are people there doing the best they know how'.

Too much greed in the world.

I think it's important to approach them as if they're acting in good faith, we owe that to one another. You catch more bees with honey than vinegar.

 

[Watasha]

It would be helpful to know why those who chose NOT to email the ATA did so? If you wouldn't mind sharing, it would be very valuable!

 

[Pitseleh]

Done.

 

[joe]

Why have so many voted "no"? Takes a few minutes and nothing to lose!

I did my part now. I will post here if they respond me. Thanks @Watasha!

 

[TrevorSanders]

If you're on this forum and don't email the ATA, you're being complacent with your and everyone else's suffering.

It takes 2 minutes, email them.

 

[Watasha]

Done.

Thanks @Pitseleh!

 

[Watasha]

Why have so many voted "no"? Takes a few minutes and nothing to lose!

I did my part now. I will post here if they respond me. Thanks @Watasha!

I have no idea but it would be helpful if people would share why they are "no's."

I remember during my extreme suffering just being paralyzed, but it dawned after me as days would go by, weeks become months, that I had in a way wasted that time. That I could have done more things despite how I felt. It's going to take a collective effort from all of us to push things forward.

Thanks for helping @joe!

 

[Watasha]

If you're on this forum and don't email the ATA, you're being complacent with your and everyone else's suffering.

It takes 2 minutes, email them.

It baffles me, maybe they have sound reasons and will share them. Understanding their motivations for not participating can help us to better tailor activities in the future to increase participation.

 

[Frédéric]

So sorry for my late read of this thread. I immediately sent a message to the ATA. I did a mix of the texts from @Watasha and @Felipe (many thanks for your texts, it helped a lot).

I did not hesitate to write them even though I am not an American citizen, nor am I a current subscriber of the ATA, although I was for one year, back in 2013.

 

[Nobody19]

I sent them a message on social media.

Those of you who have Twitter could write and share a short text. That might have a bigger impact than a few emails.

 

[Watasha]

So sorry for my late read of this thread. I immediately sent a message to the ATA. I did a mix of the texts from @Watasha and @Felipe (many thanks for your texts, it helped a lot).

I did not hesitate to write them even though I am not an American citizen, nor am I a current subscriber of the ATA, although I was for one year, back in 2013.

Thank you @Frédéric!

 

[Watasha]

I sent them a message on social media.

Those of you who have Twitter could write and share a short text. That might have a bigger impact than a few emails.

Great idea! The more, the better. They are probably sick of me so the more diversity, the better! Thank you!

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Done

 

[Watasha]

Done

Thanks!! Did you vote??

 

[TheDanishGirl]

Thanks!! Did you vote??

No. Gonna do it now

 

[tbuzz89]

Email sent. This is what I put together in my message. Not sure how good it is, but anyone who would like to use it please feel free.

Hello,

There are so many people (and the number is growing quickly due to the unanimous use of earbud headphones, etc.) that are truly suffering from severe tinnitus. The ATA was recently granted a $2.7 million, and as a severe tinnitus sufferer, would love to see the ATA take action and fund research into finding a CURE for tinnitus and hearing loss, not just studies, therapy, and coping methods. While everything the ATA has done thus far is greatly appreciated, so many people are hoping that this will be the decade of regenerative medicine, with help for hearing loss and tinnitus being at the advent of these new medical developments.

There are millions of people counting on the ATA to advocate for a real cure for tinnitus. And while the world waits for research to make a breakthrough, we should also raise more public awareness on tinnitus, similar to the surgeon general's warning on a pack of cigarettes. With an organization such as yourself at the forefront of advocacy for research and development of a cure, there might just come a time in the near future where hearing loss becomes as simple to fix as vision has with lasik surgery.

The ATA can help make this decade the one where hearing loss, tinnitus, hyperacusis, and other hearing related disorders are finally cured.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Dolgoruki]

Done! Thanks for taking the initiative!

 

[Christiaan]

Just wrote an extensive email to the ATA. Hopefully all our work will be enough to refocus their attention to future research that addresses the root cause of tinnitus.

 

[ajc]

Just wrote an extensive email to the ATA. Hopefully all our work will be enough to refocus their attention to future research that addresses the root cause of tinnitus.

Can you share the main points you made? I hope they respond to you.

 

[Christiaan]

Can you share the main points you made? I hope they respond to you.

Ok, here it is. It's not my best work, but hopefully it's legible enough to get the message across.

_________________________________________________________________________________
Title: Donate to research, donate for hope

Dear Sir/Madam,

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude for the hard work and donations that your organisation, the ATA, has spent on helping to improve the lives of those who greatly suffer from tinnitus. It has recently come to my attention that the ATA has received a generous sum, for which the organisation can decide on what causes it wish to spend on. It's for this reason that I would like to give advice from my perspective as a tinnitus sufferer.

In my experience as a tinnitus sufferer, I have felt that current treatments have not fulfilled the potential of addressing my tinnitus or the psychological & physical stress that it has caused in my life. I have received TRT and CBT, but it has not made my life any better. I had to quit my work, university and also had to cancel my rent. So you could see my life has turned upside down by this severe disorder. My life only rests on the hope that future treatments might help make my live more ''livable'', and there is certainly hope that there is something that not only helps me, but also for those who are in the same situation as I am.

There are several types of research that are well underway. Bi-modulation therapies, such as Susan Shore's current research at the university of Michigan, Kv 7.2/7.3 channel activity modulators, which is currently tested at the Pittsburgh University under guidance of Dr. Tzounopoulos and the highly anticipated hearing regeneration treatments by companies like Frequency Therapeutics are giving us all hope in a better future.

This aforementioned research has the potential to improve our lives. And to get there, it also needs the necessary funding in fulfilling that potential. It is for this reason that I hope that you would consider these types of research, so that tinnitus sufferers like me go on and enjoy our lives again. Please, give us hope. We are counting on you.

With kind regards,

Christiaan van R.

the Netherlands