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You may use the letter in part or in whole as your letter to call for the funding of Udall. Address as follows: The Honorable ______________ House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. (or Ms.) ___________________: The Honorable ________________ United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator: Be sure to include your return address on the letter so that your congressman will recognize you as his or her constituent. That is very important. Also ask for a response to your letter. Udall Shell #9 You must not wait! We are about to be visited by an enemy far more malevolent than any we've faced in any war we've ever fought. With the demographic surge, also known as the "Baby Boomers," will come disability, the likes of which we have never before seen in our history, and it will remain with us for decades to come as more people fall victim unless we adopt a proactive stance now! Taking a proactive stance would need to include funding the Morris K. Udall Act for Parkinson's Research and Education to the approved level of $100 Million a year. For you, it would mean doing the right thing, the stand-up thing, even in these times of "balancing the budget." I can assure you that there is grassroots support for this issue. For victims of Parkinson's a proactive could mean an end to tremendous human suffering. To those who are already in the process of developing Parkinson's, it could mean an extended work life. It could mean the ability to prevent it, which we do not now have, and will never without a thorough investigation of it. To our children, the generation that will bear the brunt of having to care for the afflicted, it could mean having a piece of the pie! To those elderly and others fortunate enough to avoid a neuro-degenerative disease such as Parkinson's, it could mean greater quality of life. To be surrounded by illness is not a hopeful prospect. There is no predicting Parkinson's and you or someone for whom you care could be developing it at this very moment and not know. It is that insidious! If you need ammunition for your fight, present to those who would oppose you the idea that spending $100 Million a year on research with a potential savings of $25 Billion a year (the cost of Parkinson's in 1994 dollars) is smart business. There is great hope through research. We can only hope it will be in time. We have never needed your help more than we need it today. Use everything you've got to fund Udall. It is intolerable that it remains buried in Appropriations. Please write to share your game plan for freeing those funds for Parkinson's research. I need to know. Sincerely,