2012 Arthritis Advocacy Summit

In case you didn't know, the 2012 Arthritis Advocacy Summit is happening right now in Washington D.C!!

Honestly? I'm a little bit bummed that I'm not there myself. I was offered a stipend from the Denver Chapter of the Arthritis Foundation to attend the Summit, but seeing as I'm in the eighth month of my pregnancy (eighth?!?! How on earth did that happen?!?!) and some of my RA symptoms have returned, traveling is pretty much out of the question right now. Which is a bummer.

Luckily, there are some ways to check in online to see what is going on with the conference. The Arthritis Foundation has a Livestream of some of the events. I watched a few speeches this morning - and when I checked in just now they were showing a JA slideshow set to Katy Perry's "Firework" (which really made me smile because it was a lot like the one I made for JA Camp last year!!)

There are even some things you can do to contribute to the efforts remotely. So far, the Arthritis Foundation has posted three actions you can easily take from home:

Action #1: The heavy toll arthritis takes is unacceptable and those suffering deserve access to care. Write a letter to your Members of Congress urging them to End Discrimination Against Specialty Tier Medications. Click here to take action!!

Action #2: Write a letter to your Members of Congress urging them to Increase Access to Pediatric Rheumatologists. Click here to take action!!

Action #3: Research holds the key to preventing, controlling and curing arthritis, the nation's leading cause of disability. Send a letter to your Members of Congress requesting their support to Fund Arthritis Research at the Department of the Defense. Click here to take action!!

It's best if you make these letters personal by including your own story, but even if you don't have time to do that you can still help the advocacy efforts by sending the form letter in just a few clicks. And, if you "like" the Arthritis Foundation Facebook page, additional action alerts will show up in your Facebook newsfeed during the Summit.

Next year, I'm really hoping to be able to attend the Summit in person - I'd love it even more if APL and the baby could be there with me. But, since I'm stuck at home for the time being, I'm really glad there are still ways that I can easily contribute. And so can you!!