Helpful Info + Form Letter

Hi all,

This is Sofia's Mommy making a guest post. Some of this stuff is repetitive here, since I am posting this same post on Sofie's blog. But there are some new things, including a form letter you can copy/paste to send to Ellen and Oprah, and some helpful links to make things easier.

The countdown is on for July 15th! It's time to get organized and get our letters ready. Not sure where to start? I've put together some helpful information to get everyone started...

If you're still looking for blue envelopes and/or paper, here are a few options:

• Carter's mom, Kellie, got her blue envelopes from Staples. They are large, invitation size.


• I ordered mine online from Action Envelope. I got the #10 Regular Envelopes (4 1/8 x 9 1/2) — in Bright Blue (Item #4260-18) $9.95 for 50. I also got the matching 8 1/2 x 11 Paper — in Bright Blue (Item #81211-P-13) $5.95 for 50. I bought 100 envelopes and 250 sheets of paper, and shipping for that was a little steep ($9.95), but I ordered a lot.


• Paperandmore.com has these envelopes: A-9 Aqua Lagoon Metallic 5 3/4 x 8 3/4 (50 Envelopes)Product Code: 2524-06-050Qty: 1 @ $20.99 and this paper: Solid Aqua Text 60# (100 Sheets)Product Code: 3606-100Qty: 1 @ $6.99.


• Envelopemall.com has these envelopes: Astrobright Colors 4-1/8 x 9-1/2", (No 10 Sq. Flap) Envelope 100 Pack AB 49 $8.95 and this paper: Astrobright Color Sheets 8-1/2 x 11", (60 lb. Text) 100 Pack AB11 for $9.95.


• I haven't had time to check out Target or Walmart, because I'm an online shoppin' kinda girl, but if someone has found blue envelopes at either place or anywhere else for that matter, please comment and let everyone know where they can pick some up.

Once you have your blue envelopes you'll need to write one fact about CDH on the back of each one. Need a quick reference for CDH facts? Well, you've come to the right place!

• Approximately 800 babies will die from CDH this year in the U.S. alone.


• Worldwide, more than 53,000 babies will be born with CDH this year.


• Half of all babies born with CDH will die.


• Have YOU heard of CDH? Neither had I until [date of diagnosis].


• Worldwide, nearly half a million babies have been born with CDH since 2000.


• Over 1600 babies are diagnosed with CDH each year in the U.S. alone.


• Every 10 minutes a baby with CDH is born somewhere in the world.


• The cause of CDH is not known.

Next - addresses...

We're mailing all of our blue envelopes on July 15th to The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Here's her address:

• The Ellen DeGeneres Show
  Attn: Fan Mail
  PO Box 7788
  Burbank, CA 91523 USA
  

That same day - July 15th - we will also be emailing The Oprah Winfrey Show (because they don't accept actual mail anymore).

• To contact the Oprah Show, copy and paste the letter you have composed (or just a fact about CDH if you prefer not to write a letter) here: https://www.oprah.com/ord/plugform.jsp?plugId=216


• Please be sure to include the link to the Letters for CDH project blog. http://www.lettersforcdh.blogspot.com/


• And a link to your chosen CDH blog or website.

So now that we have our letters and envelopes, our CDH facts, and the addresses to send the letters to Ellen and the emails to Oprah, what do we write? The easiest thing to do is just send your blue envelopes empty. Just seal it up, write your CDH fact on the back, and send it off. When you email Oprah, just email her a CDH fact using the link above. They'll know what it's for and that's the point. If you would like to write your own letter to include, please do so!!

If you'd like to write a letter, but aren't sure what to write, or just don't have the time to sit down and compose a letter, I've prepared a form letter you may use. You can just copy and paste it into an email or copy and paste it into a word processing program and print it off. Just remember to change or delete the personalized parts depending on who you're sending it to. Here it is:

To Oprah and the producers of the Oprah Winfrey Show [or To Ellen and the producers of The Ellen Degeneres Show],

I'm writing to you tell you about an extremely devastating birth defect known as Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, or CDH. To be born with CDH means your diaphragm didn't form correctly, or sometimes even at all, before birth. The diaphragm is the big muscle that separates your heart and lungs from your abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, liver, etc.).

Normally the diaphragm forms in healthy babies between 7-10 weeks gestation. When the diaphragm doesn't form, those abdominal organs are free to move into the chest of the developing baby, pressing on the heart and lungs and greatly inhibiting their growth and function. The effect of this is often fatal. Only 50-60% of babies born with CDH will survive. Yes, you read that right - a 50-60% survival rate, even with the best that medicine can offer!

Before this letter, had you ever heard of CDH before? You're not alone if you answered "no". Most people have never heard of CDH until their baby, or a friend or family member's baby is diagnosed. So you're thinking..."CDH must be rare if most people have never heard of it", right? Here's where you want to answer "no". CDH is NOT rare! Although, surviving it could be considered rare. CDH occurs just as often (1 in 2500 births or 1600 babies each year in the U.S.) as Spina Bifida and Cystic Fibrosis, but the outcome of CDH is frequently much worse. We HAVE to change that!

The median age of survival with Cystic Fibrosis has doubled in the last 25 years. The life expectancy with severe Spina Bifida (96% of all Spina Bifida cases are severe) used to end in childhood. Just in the last 20 years, individuals with Spina Bifida are living fuller, longer and more productives lives than ever thought possible and now have a near normal life expectancy. Why is this? Research, education, and medical advances make this kind of progress possible.

CDH first appeared in medical literature in the early 18th century. The first successful surgical treatment was in 1902. Now, more than 100 years later, even with all of our medical advances, the survival rate remains a dismal 50-60%.

Since current medical advances have failed to make much of an impact on the CDH survival rate, it's clear that more research is needed. It is my sincere hope that The Oprah Winfrey Show [or The Ellen DeGeneres Show] will advocate for families affected by CDH by helping to increase awareness of CDH in the public. CDH awareness leads to education about this horrible defect. Education leads to more research. More research leads to better treatments, even a cure, and ultimately to prevention.

The Oprah Winfrey Show [or The Ellen DeGeneres Show] is a phenomenal platform for bringing attention to CDH and the effects it has not only on the families of those affected, but also on the healthcare community as a whole, and in turn the entire country. CDH babies are million dollar babies, meaning treatment of babies born with CDH costs upwards of one million dollars or more. For those families in our country lucky enough to have insurance, most plans have a lifetime benefit cap of $1 million. After that, parents of a CDH baby must self-pay their baby's medical expenses, or they may apply for public assistance such as Social Security or Medicaid.

Often times, parents of a CDH baby must miss work for very extended periods. The average hospital stay for a baby born with CDH is 3 months, although some stay for a year or more. Missed work results in decreased productivity, loss of wages and/or benefits, or even the loss of their job entirely. The impact this has on the rest of the community and country is paramount.

No one knows what causes CDH to occur. It does not discriminate with regard to gender, race, or socioeconomics. It affects us all! Please join us in our fight to beat CDH by bringing it, and the stories of some of the thousands of families it has affected, into the homes of millions of Americans.

Sincerely,

[Your Name
Mommy to Sofia, a CDH survivor
www.sofiascdhstory.com]


One last thing...we'd also like to encourage you to notify your local news outlets of our project prior to July 15th. Anytime between now and the first week or so of July, contact your local media to let them know what we're doing. The more attention, the better! Here are a couple of national contacts:

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Headquarters
450 W. 33rd St.
New York, NY 10001

CNN NY
1 Chase Manhattan Plaza
New York, NY 10005


All of the addresses in this post can be found in the sidebar on this blog. Hope it helps to make things easier! Kellie and I will each be sending 100 blue envelopes with letters to The Ellen DeGeneres Show on July 15th and many emails to The Oprah Winfrey Show. In all of our blue envelopes, we'll also be including a picture collage made at Snapfish.com. See mine below and Kellie's in an earlier post. The 4x6 collages are only 9 cents each! Here's the link: http://www2.snapfish.com/collageit/prd=prints

Kellie and I are also sending DVDs with video footage of our little miracles to Ellen. If you would like to send DVDs as well, here are the bubble mailers we are using. http://www.fastpack.net/Bubble-Mailers---Envelopes-Metallic-Bubble-Mailers/Pack_of_25_CD2_7x5.75_Metallic_Bubble_Mailers

Well, I think that pretty much covers it. Happy mailing (and emailing)!