Hi, all. It's been awhile since I wrote a petition update, so I
thought now would be a good time. First, a big THANK you 
to all who've signed so far, and extra thanks if you've also
shared the petition and/ or contributed money to help 
promote it. I appreciate ALL of it, and I know my late brother
Jordan would, too--as his experience is what compelled
me to create the petition. And I still struggle with thyroid, 
as well. Ugh!

As I write this, we have 8, 273 signatures and counting. So, 
that's positive. The bad part is that so far, I haven't YET been
able to get anyone to help us with anything. But I'll keep 
trying! Unfortunately, the outgoing Biden Administration wasn't
much interested in this petition--with the exception of the office 
of Secretary of Health & Human Services, led by Xavier Becerra.

At least his group sent the petition on to a correct division
of one of the gov't. healthcare agencies--who sent me back a 
nice letter showing they actually read it and were sympathetic. 
But that was several months ago, and I haven't heard back from
them, nor anyone else I've written lately--both in and out of
government. And it seems nothing useful has been done for us, 
YET. And now, we have a new Administration coming to Washington....

All I can say is that I'll send this petition around to the various new
heads of the health-related departments, as well as to the White 
House again, too. I'll also write the best cover letter I can for each, 
and hope for the best.....

If nothing comes of it at first, I'll still also continue to reach out 
to different medical associations & foundations, and anywhere else I
I can think of to get low and high thyroid sufferers the better care, 
diagnosis, treatments, research, etc. that we deserve.  As long as I'm 
able to do so at all, I'll keep fighting for this!!!

It always helps to show you have as many supporters as possible.
It means a lot when anyone signs & shares, so here's the petition
link for anyone who'd like to help in this way
https://www.change.org/ThyoidBetterTreatment

It'd be great if we could get to 10, 000 signatures & beyond--but
any new ones we can get now before I send off letters to new folks
in the incoming Administration will make our case stronger, about
many of us needing better thyroid help and research. 

If anyone would like to contact me personally with any comments,
suggestions, contacts you may have that maybe could help with
the petition, or maybe you just want to complain about thyroid
diagnosis & care to someone who "gets it" (Me!), here's a new 
email address I got, just mainly for all of that--so, I don't care if 
it's shared or made public, or anything like that.
Contact me, Starr D, at   
                         starr878@outlook.com

It make take me a little while, sometimes, to get back to you--
but I'll get there, eventually!  I set this up because it seems the
Change dot org platform that hosts this petition no longer allows
me to reply back to anyone who comments on the petition or its 
updates. I'm hoping, then, this email will keep communication 
open for anyone who wants to reach me regarding thyroid and
this petition.

I also have pages for the petition on Twitter (now X) which is 
active, and Facebook (not that active), and they both have the
same name as the petition itself,
"Thyroid Patients Need Better Treatment NOW."
I know some people don't like or use either of those platforms, 
though...and that's fine.  I may be putting up a page for the petition
on other platforms in the future--I'll let you know when I do.

To also gain more attention and hopefully more support for the
petition, I hope to make some creative videos with a new computer
tablet I was recently given, mainly for this purpose.  Many thanks
to my very kind and generous New York cousins and their spouses
for making this happen:  thanks to Andrea, Lesley, Harvey, Dotty,
Joel, and Jason.  It'll take me a little time to work on this, but thanks
for giving me the chance!

It's be great if we could make a thyroid video go viral and really 
raise awareness in this way, hopefully leading to more support
in general and more help from those who can assist us in making
progress. I hope to be working on this in the weeks ahead....

I want to give a special thanks, as well, to those of you in countries
other than the United States who've signed this petition & maybe
you've shared it, too.  It's always my hope that if we can get
 any thyroid reforms made in the US via this petition, then other
 countries will take note and follow with reforms, too.
 So thank you for your help on this. The goal is
really to have better thyroid care, EVERYWHERE!!

One final note about the incoming White House administration--
I have read in various articles that although he's very controversial
in different areas, RFK Jr is supposedly interested in helping 
with chronic diseases, if he gets appointed to be the new
Head of Health & Human Services.   Low & high thyroid problems,
including autoimmune ones, are certainly in that category.
Would he help us?   I'm reaching out to anyone who'll be in
a position to help, so I guess we'll see.  And if not him, whoever
is appointed, and to anyone else I can--both in & outside 
the new Administration.

I will close this now, by once again posting my favorite picture of
Jordan and me, when we were little.  Best to everyone, and
as my brother would probably say regarding this petition:
"Let's go get 'em!"
From Jordan's sister, Starr D.