Dear Meniere’s Champion, Many thanks for being one of the first 1,000 to sign the Meniere’s Medication PBS petition. Thanks also to those who shared their stories in the comment section of the petition. I have read every one, and even incorporated some into the petition itself. I was particularly moved by two commenters whose family or friends were touched by suicide, brought on by the desperation of this chronic illness. Such comments underscore the importance of support and access to affordable medications to assist in managing this illness. For support with anxiety or depression contact https://www.lifeline.org.au/ For Meniere’s information and peer-to-peer support contact https://www.whirledfoundation.org/ WHO ARE WE? You have either signed this petition because: a) you have Meniere’s disease, b) have suffered from similar symptoms and can relate to the cause, c) you are showing support for someone you know who suffers from Meniere’s disease, or d) you’re just an all-round good person who can empathise with the injustice of this situation. Whatever your reason, Australians with Meniere’s disease appreciate your support. WHAT’S NEXT? Well you can choose to do nothing further, and that’s okay, or you can join me and other supporters on a quest to turn this PBS dream into a reality. This week’s goal is to find another 2,000 signatures for our petition. To achieve this goal we each need to share the below petition link to as many people as we can, and aim to sign up a minimum of two people each. That shouldn’t be so hard should it? You can share the petition through: 1. your Facebook friends 2. potentially sympathetic Facebook groups and pages (i.e. local suburb groups), any kind of group that might be open to such a post 3. your email contacts People can sign the petition either via their Facebook account or through a change.org account (for those who don’t use Facebook). So please continue to share this petition, asking your friends to also sign and share. https://www.change.org/p/over-40-000-australians-with-meniere-s-disease-urgently-need-your-help-please-sign-and-share-this-petition DO MORE TO HELP Even a small donation to Whirled Foundation can make a difference in supporting this campaign and Australians with chronic imbalance conditions. You can donate here: https://www.whirledfoundation.org/donate/ You can also donate directly to the petition campaign through the change.org “Promote This Petition” button. As signature numbers climb over the coming weeks, there should be opportunities to enlist the help of the media to promote our cause and increase our numbers. In the near future I’ll be asking for any media contacts you may have (i.e. local radio and local newspaper), who may be interested in this petition and in sharing your Meniere’s story. A BIT ABOUT ME My name is Beatrice. I was diagnosed with Meniere’s in late 2007, but have had symptoms on and off since 2003. In early 2008 I joined the Meniere's Support Group of Victoria which became Meniere’s Australia (MA) in 2009 (earlier in 2016 MA transitioned into Whirled Foundation so it could help other balance disorders). In 2010, out of frustration from the lack of Meniere’s awareness, I started a blog called Menieres: An Inner (Ear) Journey. http://menieresjourney.blogspot.com.au/ In 2011, I started becoming more actively involved in Meniere’s Australia, setting up all their social media channels in 2012, after which I was invited onto the committee. Shortly after I was also co-opted onto the board of the Deafness Forum of Australia (DFA) – the peak national body representing the one in six Australians who are hard of hearing, Deaf, deafblind, have a hearing loss or a chronic ear or balance disorder, and the families who support them. http://www.deafnessforum.org.au/index.php/about-us-63/executive I started this petition because I know first-hand how expensive these medications are. I regularly use two of the three medications listed in the petition (Zofran & Valtex). I tried Serc for three to six months but it didn’t work for me, though I know I’m the exception to the rule as many people find Serc is a life saver for them. You can read more about the research behind the petition here: http://www.whirledfoundation.org/petition-in-depth-menieres-disease-medications-urgently-needed-on-the-pbs/ It’s time that we made our collective voices heard and this is the petition to do it. Together we can get urgently needed Meniere’s medication on the PBS, and alleviate the financial hardship of Australians living with Meniere’s disease. Many thanks, Beatrice