Please Help Nominate Annette Whittemore for Citizens Medal!

Please Help Nominate Annette Whittemore for Citizens Medal!
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/762563

President Obama is searching for an outstanding American who will be awarded the Citizens Medal, the nations second highest civilian honor. Please join us in nominating Annette Whittemore to receive this honor. We have provided a sample letter that you are free to use in any way. We have also provided some links that might be helpful if you plan on writing your own nomination. The deadline to submit your nomination is May 30, 2011. We think this will be a great way to remind President Obama of his promise to look into ME/CFS as well as honor an individual who is truly deserving.

*Letter from the President*

Good morning,

Last year I asked the public to help identify outstanding Americans I should consider for the Citizens Medal, the nation's second-highest civilian honor. After receiving more than 6,000 nominations, I invited 13 outstanding Americans to the White House to receive the medal and be recognized for their service.

It's time to do it again.

Like last year, we're looking for Americans who have performed exemplary deeds of service outside of their regular jobs and provided inspiration for others to serve. You can view the full criteria and get started on a nomination here:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmed...

Now I know there are thousands of citizens out there who meet these criteria -- I read their letters every night, and I meet many of them in my travels around the country. I also know that many times their contributions go unrecognized.

The 2011 Citizens Medal is a chance to recognize the everyday heroes in your community.

Here are a few examples of Citizens Medal recipients from last year.

Betty Kwan Chinn was homeless as a child in China and became mute. When she came to America, Betty found her voice and her calling. Today, she provides meals to the homeless in her community twice a day as expressions of gratitude to a welcoming nation.

Susan Retik Ger is a widow who lost her husband on 9/11 who found cause in educating and training Afghan widows and their children.

George Weiss, Jr. is veteran of World War II who founded the Fort Snelling Memorial Rifle Squad, a group of over 125 volunteers who have performed final military honors at over 55,000 veterans' funerals.

Their stories are powerful reminders of the impact an individual can have on his or her community and on the world. You can watch them tell their stories in a video gallery on WhiteHouse.gov:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/citizensmed...

If you know someone like Betty, Susan or George, please take a moment to nominate them for the 2011 Citizens Medal before May 30.

Sincerely,

President Barack Obama

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*Explain why your nominee should receive the citizens medal: (you may have to remove paragraphs as there is a 1500 character limit per section)*

Annette Whittemore is a mom and former school teacher who specialized in neuro-cognitive deficits like autism, ADD and other learning disabilities. Annettes life took a new direction when her young daughter became chronically ill with neuro-immune disease.In her search to find the underlying cause of her daughters illness and appropriate treatment she became frustrated when she realized that most physicians had little or no understanding of her daughters illness.

In an attempt to find answers for her daughter and other patients suffering with neuro-immune disease, Annette along with legislators supported a bill to build a biomedical research center at the University of Nevada. In addition, Annette and her husband contributed over one million dollars and pledged another four million to support the building of this institute.

Before the Whittemore Peterson Institute (WPI) opened its doors Dr. Judy Mikovits the new director of research for the WPI along with the National Cancer Institute and the Cleveland Clinic published a paper in the prestigious journal Science on the newly discovered, third human retrovirus which has since been found in more that 90% of chronic fatigue syndrome patients and associated with other neuro-immune diseases such as autism and some cancers.

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*Describe the impact that your nominees service has had on the community: (you may have to remove paragraphs as there is a 1500 character limit per section)*

Patients with neuro-immune disease have gone largely untreated for decades and left to suffer in silence. With this new discovery and the ongoing research at the WPI, we are finding answers which will lead to appropriate treatment, prevention and, possibly, a cure. In addition, it has created an explosion of renewed interest from researchers around the world. Annette Whittemores determination to find a cause and treatment for her daughter has not only saved her daughters life but has brought hope to millions around the globe.

Today, Annette Whittemore continues as the Founder and President of WPI working to support the clinical research programs, recruitment of physicians and fundraising. She has created a clinical advisory board and will soon open a clinic on the WPI campus to treat patients in need. In addition, Annette is spearheading the Whittemore Peterson Institutes advocacy initiative called Advocates 4 Answers in order to build an international network of Advocates dedicated to finding a cure for neuro-immune diseases.

The Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease exists to bring discovery, knowledge, and effective treatments to patients with illnesses that are caused by acquired dysregulation of both the immune system and the nervous system, often resulting in lifelong disease and disability.

Helpful Links:

Annette Whittemore/Founder and President of WPI http://www.wpinstitute.org/about/abou...

WPI History http://www.wpinstitute.org/about/abou...

Overview of retrovirus XMRV http://www.wpinstitute.org/xmrv/index...

2009 Science Paper http://www.sciencemag.org/content/326...

Advocates 4 Answers (ANIDA) http://www.anida.co/