Dear Representative/Senator (INSERT LAST NAME):

     I am writing to thank you for taking the next step forward towards fighting a fatal disease called ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). Your support on the funding for ALS in the Fiscal Year 2003 Department of Defense Appropriations bill (DOD) Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP) means so much to the ALS community.

     What makes ALS unique compared to most other diseases is that there is no known cause, cure or prevention. However, your assistance has given us hope that we will someday soon be able to find a cause or cure for this terrible disease through the funding that you have so generously supported.

     ALS, more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disorder that occurs when motor nerve cells cease to function and die. While in most cases a person's mind remains sharp and alert, voluntary muscle control becomes completely lost, often resulting in paralysis.

     It is our hope that the funding through the PRMRP will help researchers better understand how environmental factors may be involved in ALS.

     Thank you, again, for your support towards our cause and we hope that we can continue to count on you to help us fight this terrible disease.

     Sincerely,

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