Traveling with FAIR ---to Phoenix, Arizona where we set a record--a new member joined every 56 seconds for 7 hours! With our FAIR member volunteers Jill Mottl (left) and Kimala Adams (right) staffing our booth at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Convention at the Phoenix Convention Center we broke all previous records and, as always, hundreds of new members joined our efforts for fair and equitable bio-medical research funding and new organ-donor policies to reverse America's organ-donor crisis. To see pictures of many of the new members who joined there, click on Joy or Kimala. ---to Boston, Massachusetts FAIR members pictured here, Stephanie Spencer and Derek Brindisi staffed our exhibit at the ADA Expo in Boston at the Seaport World Trade Center. Kudos to both as they signed up a new FAIR member every 2.8 minutes all day long! Our great thanks to both Stephanie, who generously took time from her husband Geoff and her two children, Wil (8) & Jillian (6) to help us, and to Derek Brindisi generously gave us time he could have applied to his work as Deputy Director of the Worcester, MA Department of Public Health. More photos ---to Denver, Colorado where we exhibited at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Convention in the Colorado Convention Center and, as always, hundreds of new members joined our efforts for fair and equitable bio-medical research funding and new organ-donor policies to reverse America's organ-donor crisis. Our thanks to Board member FAIR member Debbie Green (L) who staffed the booth. Debbie is the Founder of the Greenview Hepatitis C Fund that is actively involved in funding hepatitis C research at the University of Michigan. To see many photos of the new FAIR members who joined our organization in Denver, click on Debbie. ---to Chicago, Illinois where FAIR volunteers, Sue Reinke and Gary Ostreicher (left) joined with Debbie Green (see above story) to exhibit FAIR at the ADA Convention at Navy Pier and they signed up a new member every 1.5 minutes for the entire day. All new members were quite angry at the poor funding for HIV relative to diabetes and they expressed their gratitude for our efforts to get them fair funding. To see many photos of the new FAIR members who joined FAIR in Chicago, click on Sue & Gary. ---to Long Beach for the where our volunteer, Ellis Delameter (right) joined with Dr. Darling to exhibit FAIR at the Long Beach ADA Expo. Once again, hundreds of new members joined our efforts for fair and equitable bio-medical research funding and new organ-donor policies to reverse America's organ-donor crisis. To see pictures of many of the new members who joined there, click on Ellis. ---to Portland, Oregon.. The FAIR Foundation exhibited in Portland, Oregon at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Convention and, once again, an avalanche of new members joined our efforts for fair and equitable bio-medical research funding and new organ-donor policies. Our thanks to Board member Bill Remak (L) for manning the booth in Portland.

Exactly who is receiving research dollars for HIV and your disease? Are they all in the USA? Which researcher in
your state is cashing in ? You'll be surprised

To see where the $2.93 billion in HIV research is being spent in the USA and throughout the world click on the hands (note there are many pages accessible at the bottom of page 1). To see what researcher in your state is getting research dollars, click the dollar bill. To see where your disease's dollars are being spent, click here, find your illness, then click on the underlined budgeted amount to get the full list of people researching your illness.

How much of America is affected by AIDS?

If you don't have AIDS, your color and the land you're standing on are blue. Click here.

                                FAIR Profiles States

What are the top ten causes of death for the citizens of South Carolina and Washington as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)? Is HIV/AIDS one of them? If not, how do the top ten compare with HIV? For the top ten causes of death in South Carolina and Washington click on their map. For HIV/AIDS deaths in those and all other states, click here.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Acting Director Responds to FAIR's letter

The CDC was erroneously reporting on their web site that citizens with hepatitis C (HCV) cannot be organ donors. Since this false information might have led to deaths of those on the waiting list, we wrote to the CDC Director, Dr. Gerberding, with extensive factual information from UNOS and two of our Board members, Lorenzo Rossaro, MD and Donald Hillebrand, MD, clearly showing HCV infected individuals can be organ and tissue donors. Dr. Gerberding did not change the web site and was replaced by Richard Besser, MD, as Acting Director of the CDC. We wrote to Dr. Besser and you may read his respectful, but dismaying response by clicking on his picture. While admitting that their website information is ten years old, he cannot change it until next year.

FAIR Continues its dental plan for transplant patients

If you have passed all of your pre-transplant requirements except for dental due to financial hardship, contact us and we will attempt to find a dentist that will help you pro-bono. We have helped many patients in the past and may be able to assist you also. For a complete summary of our dental plan for transplant patients, click the tooth.

FAIR's Founder educates on the dangers of red meat in liver disease patients and who must exercise caution

Liver Health magazine published our Founder's letter that shed light on which patients with liver disease may be at risk from eating red meat. The letter also provides a link to a helpful test from the Loma Linda University Medical Center Liver Transplant Institute that caregivers can give their sick loved one to determine if he/she needs medication to thwart severe mental confusion (encephalopathy) caused by liver malfunction.

Are you in need of a kidney transplant. At www.matchingdonors.com there are almost 6,000 people desirous of donating a kidney to you if you match. Click the link to read about this altruistic non-profit organization and the many national stories on their successes, including 60 Minutes and People Magazine, in matching ill renal patients with donors.

The future solution to the organ donor crisis--
growing the organs patients need?
 

Yes, researchers are growing organs and the technique is much more advanced than most realize. A man cuts off the end of his finger, sprinkles powder on it and in four weeks it grows back? Bladders being grown and transplanted into patients, heart tissue being grown in the lab. Not fiction, it's true as described in this news video from the University of Pittsburgh. At Wake Forest University their scientists were the first in the world to successfully implant a laboratory-grown organ into humans and today are working to grow more than 22 different organs and tissues in the laboratory. Wake Forest story and video. Our thanks to FAIR member Judi Martinez for bringing this to our attention.

FAIR Joins California Partnership for Access Treatment

We are pleased to announce that the FAIR Foundation has joined the California Partnership for Access to Treatment (CPAT), a diverse network of advocacy organizations, community groups, health care providers and employers, committed to ensuring a healthy and productive California.

FAIR's Press Release: Immediate Action Needed to Reverse America's Organ-Donor Crisis

Every hour a person on the waiting list or one who was delisted due to becoming too sick to be transplanted dies. You can help give all in need the "Gift of Life" by simply copying this opinion editorial and sending it to media and President Obama. Click on the Please Help logo!

Waiting for a Liver Transplant?

Are you waiting for a liver transplant?  Which areas/hospitals are transplanting years sooner than others. To calculate your MELD score and find the region/state that is transplanting at the lowest MELD score, click the liver.

Consider supporting the "Preexisting Condition
Patient Protection Act of 2009" to encourage living donation

From Transplant Recipients International Organization: Legislation has been introduced to prohibit preexisting condition exclusions in group health plans and health insurance coverage in the group and individual markets. This includes live organ donation and we hope you will help get this bill passed. To learn how, click here.
 

The HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials Parade Continues

In May there were 1,742 HIV/AIDS Clinical Trials, in August, 1,865, in October 2,233, Now it is 3,272. Find out how many for your disease by clicking here. For example, there are a total of only 2,932 clinical trials for Diabetes, 413 for Alzheimer's Disease, 505 for COPD, and 439 for hepatitis C (many involving HIV & HCV).

World news reports for HIV like no other illness

What kind of attention does HIV get in the media. Well, we know it preoccupies much of the media health focus as evidenced by these numerous articles, indeed, twenty-four pages of HIV news from one source alone since our last newsletter.
 

FAIR Members' Soapbox Alerts continue

...this month to those suffering from our focus disease of the month, diabetes and also for those suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. To easily send an alert today to President Obama, VP Biden, your Senators and Representatives in support of fairer funding for this illness, click the Soapbox logo!

Focus Disease of the Month: Diabetes

• Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy needed for daily life.

• Diabetes is deadly; it kills more Americans than AIDS and breast cancer combined. Diabetes is one of the top six causes of death in the USA and studies indicate that diabetes is generally under-reported on death certificates, particularly in the cases of older persons with multiples chronic conditions such as heart disease and hypertension. Because of this, the toll of diabetes is believed to be much higher than officially reported.

• Diabetes is common: four years ago there were 16 million with diabetes. Now there are there are 23.6 million people in the United States, or 8 percent of the population, who have diabetes. The total prevalence of diabetes increased 13.5 percent from 2005-2007. Compare to HIV/AIDS: CDC estimates put the number with HIV/AIDS at 1 million.

• Diabetes symptoms: excessive thirst, extreme hunger, unusual weight loss, extreme fatigue, frequent urination, blurry vision and irritability. You can also take the American Diabetes Association's Online Diabetes Risk Test to find out if you are at risk for diabetes.

• Diabetes is serious; it is the number one cause of blindness, kidney disease and stroke. In fact, more than 65 percent of people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke.

• Diabetes and CVD: Yahoo News: "Diabetes heart risk = 15 years of aging." Diabetics are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease, one of the world's biggest killers, 15 years earlier than other people so a diabetic 40 years of age has the same potential for a stroke as a healthy person of age 55. Full story.

• Diabetes, Genetics and Race: Do genetics and race play a role in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes? Yes! For a full explanation on the role of genetics from the ADA, click here. Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanics and nearly 25 percent of all Hispanics, age 45-74, have it. African-Americans are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as the general population and 11.4 percent over 20 years of age have it

• Diabetes and Age: The risk of diabetes increases with age. About 21 percent of Americans aged 60 years or older have diabetes. This compares to approximately 2 percent for people 20 to 39 years old and about 10 percent for those aged 40-59 years.

• Diabetes is costly; The total annual economic cost of diabetes in 2007 was estimated to be $174 billion. Medical expenditures totaled $116 billion and were comprised of $27 billion for diabetes care, $58 billion for chronic diabetes-related complications, and $31 billion for excess general medical costs.

• Diabetes treatment:
  1. In order to survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by a pump or injections.
  2. Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a careful diet and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication.
  3. Many people with diabetes also need to take medications to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.
  4. Among adults with diagnosed diabetes, about 12 percent take both insulin and oral medications, 19 percent take insulin only, 53 percent take oral medications only, and 15 percent do not take either insulin or oral meds.

• Diabetes and Research Funding: The NIH is spending only $39 on each diabetic in research in 2007 compared to $2,774 on each HIV/AIDS patient. 

• Video: To view a powerful 14 minute video by the American Diabetes Association and ABC Television with striking quotes by many well-known celebrities and politicians that illustrates the need for more fair and equitable funding, Click HERE
  
  Diabetes and all other diseases except HIV/AIDS would receive larger research allocations under the FAIR Foundation's policies.

Statistics from the American Diabetes Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The FAIR Foundation is growing fast, but we need more members to change Congress and the NIH. Please help us by forwarding this Newsletter on to your associates and friends. With strength in numbers, we WILL achieve fair and equitable NIH distributions for diabetes and ALL non-AIDS diseases. 

Every New Member Counts!

In the fight for fairness in funding to balance the scales of justice, remember that every new member counts. We have thousands of members and supporters in all fifty States and the District of Columbia but we need many more to impact our nation's Congresspersons and the President. Please, forward this newsletter to your friends and associates now with your personal recommendation that they join FAIR for free today by clicking on the scales of justice to the left! (Member sign-up information is confidential, is not sold or shared with anyone or any other organization. Privacy Policy)

The FAIR Foundation; E-mail us at fair@dc.rr.com

FAIR Mission Statement: The FAIR Foundation is dedicated to fair and equitable distribution of research funds by the government for all diseases, including the 16 that kill a million more Americans than AIDS. A disease’s mortality rate shall be given emphasis in determining allocations and other secondary factors shall be utilized to insure diseases that cause great suffering but have low mortality rates will also receive significantly increased funding.