Sample Advocacy Letter

You can use the sample letter below as a model for personal advocacy letters
to send to elected representatives, members of health commissions, hospital
directors, health care providers, or anyone else in a position to affect health
care policy.

Date
Organization name
Address

Dear Gentlemen and Gentlewomen,

[State the purpose of your letter. Start with a hook, such as,]

Did you know that a tick bite or an infection could alter your life forever? Did you know that as a result of something you had no control over, you will be labeled as a whiner, a weak person, lazy, all because you received a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome?

or

What if you couldn’t remember your best friend’s name, or every time you tried to get a point across you spoke in a language even you didn’t understand. What if you were holding a pen in your hand and you forgot what it was for? This is the brainfog that robs people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome and it occurs without warning.

or

What if you were experiencing severe muscle pain and dysfunction and you could feel the knotted up muscle fibers in a taut band of your muscle, but your doctor wouldn’t even take the time to put his hands on you, or worse yet, he/she did and doesn’t know what this means.

[ Make it personal. State your personal experience with your disorder and how it
has affected your quality of life. Include the onset, your symptoms, and how you have
been physically and emotionally treated. Then state what you would like in response.]

[Provide the opportunity for follow-up, such as,]

If I can provide you with further information regarding these disorders, I
would be happy to do so. Please contact me at [List your full name, address, and
any other information you feel comfortable giving out, such as e-mail address, phone
number, or fax.]

Sincerely,
Signature [Type or sign your name here.]
Attachments: [Name any attachments that support your letter and its content.]