Let's Raise Oprah's Awareness of Hypothyroidism

Oprah Thyroid Awareness Campaign

So, what can you do?

1. Write to O, The Oprah Magazine About Thyroid Disease and This Website

Oprah's "O" magazine "O, The Oprah Magazine," is looking for women who have read health information on the Internet that has had a significant impact on their lives. They've written: "Did you investigate something you suspected might have been wrong or learned more about a newly diagnosed illness? Has the Web helped you find answers to questions you didn't or couldn't ask your own doctor? Tell us your stories."

I KNOW you all have stories to tell, about this site, our newsletters, other sites, and the thyroid forums, so this is an excellent opportunity to spread the word!!

To send them an email with your story, go to: http://oprah.oxygen.com/tows/intheworks/plugs_580.html

2. Send an email to the Oprah Show

Write an email to Oprah, telling your personal story...how you were misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, or struggled to get diagnosed, or how you are still struggling to be well. Don't just quote statistics or facts and figures...tell YOUR story. Describe your symptoms. Explain how it affects your life, your job, your relationships, your ability to care for your family. Oprah's producers are looking for real people and real voices, not clinical details. Explain to Oprah in a positive way why you feel it's so important for her to do a show that talks about hypothyroidism. Tell her what it would have meant to you to see a show about hypothyroidism when you were suffering with symptoms that no one had diagnosed.

You can fill out a form to send your email to Oprah at: http://www.oprah.com/email/reach/email_reach_fromu.html

3. Send a copy to me!

If you can, before you send your email to Oprah, please copy what you've written, and send me a copy as well.

You can email it to me at thyroid.guide@about.com. I will publish as many of your letters to Oprah here at the site as I can as well.

4. Send a letter to Oprah's Producers by Regular Mail

Send a letter to Oprah's producers, telling your personal story...describe your struggles to get diagnosed, feel well, live well, deal with doctors, be taken seriously. Talk about the impact on your job, your family, your life. Encourage Oprah to do a show that talks about hypothyroidism. Talk about the impact she could have on millions of women just like you who are suffering and don't even know they have a thyroid condition. Put in a picture of you and your family for even more of a personal touch.

Dianne Hudson, Executive Producer
Oprah Winfrey Show
110 North Carpenter St.
Chicago, Illinois 60607
Fax: 312-633-1976

5. Call the Show To Offer Your Suggestion

Harpo, Oprah's production company, can be reached at the following phone number: 312-633-1000

6. If You're a Doctor or Practitioner, Write to ME!

Personally, I will be putting together a package and sending it to the producers that consists of a letter from me, letters from doctors and practitioners, another copy of my book, copies of any practitioner books you might wish to include, a variety of program ideas, and some printouts of other relevant information on hypothyroidism. I expect that package to ship by early April. A reader has given me private contact information for some of the key producers, so I will also be giving them a followup call to encourage them to take a close look at this package of information.

Don't Miss This Chance!!

Can you imagine the impact it would have if Oprah devoted an entire hour to the topic of hypothyroidism? How many millions of viewers who are suffering from thyroid problems would see this show and realize that they too may have a problem, and end up diagnosed?

It could truly reach so many who do not have the benefit of the internet, and who are suffering in silence.

So please take the time to participate in this effort!

Oprah gets 25,000 email messages and letters every week, so it's really important that we mount a very intensive effort, and get thousands of letters to Oprah to draw attention to the issue!

Update: Read The Letters Going to Oprah!!!

You can read some of the letters that are already pouring in to Oprah now, here at the site's special page for Patients' Letters to Oprah.