Tag: 36 Million Migraine

Society, Treatment

Giving Tuesday: Please Support the 36 Million Migraine Campaign

Kerrie Smyres

For Giving Tuesday, please consider donating to the 36 Million Migraine campaign — even $1 donations are extremely valuable. The campaign is to raise money for research, of course, but it’s also about showing lawmakers how many people are affected by migraine. The more people who donate, the more apparent it is that the allocation of research dollars impacts real people whose lives have been altered by migraine.

You can make your donation here. Donations can be designated in honor of a mentor or loved one. You can also donate using American Express reward points. And, if you work for a company that matches donations, you might be able to double your donation. All the details are available on the 36 Million Migraine donation page.

(By making a donation, you will be signed up for a weekly educational email from the American Headache Society. That was a bonus for me, but you can easily unsubscribe if you don’t want to receive it. They’ve never sent me requests for additional donations.)

News & Research, Society

Thank You!

Kerrie Smyres

Many thanks to everyone who donated to my birthday fundraiser to benefit the American Migraine Foundation’s 36 Million Migraine campaign! I appreciate your thoughtfulness and everyone with migraine appreciates your support.

You raised 28% toward the $1,000 goal and the fundraiser is still open. If you haven’t joined us yet, please consider donating today. Your donation doesn’t need to be large. In fact, if every American with migraine donated just $1, $36 million dollars could go to migraine research.

Some astonishing facts about migraine:

  • Migraine is the third most common disorder on the planet.
  • It is the seventh highest cause of of disability globally.
  • It is by far the most disabling neurological condition worldwide.
  • 36 million Americans have migraine. Most have three or fewer attacks each month, but 3% have chronic migraine.
  • Migraine costs the United States more than $20 billion each year in direct medical expenses and indirect expenses, like missed work and lost productivity.
  • Less than 1/20th of 1% of the budget of the National Institutes of Health – about $16 million a year – is allocated to migraine research. $260 million would more accurately reflect the prevalence and magnitude of migraine.

 

Chronic Migraine, Society, Treatment

It’s Up to Us to Find a Cure: Please Donate to the 36 Million Migraine Campaign

Kerrie Smyres
  • Migraine is the third most common disorder on the planet.
  • It is the seventh highest cause of of disability globally.
  • It is by far the most disabling neurological condition.
  • 36 million Americans have migraine. Most have three or fewer attacks each month, but 3% have chronic migraine.
  • Migraine costs the United States more than $20 billion each year in direct medical expenses and indirect expenses, like missed work and lost productivity.
  • Less than 1/20th of 1% of the budget of the National Institutes of Health – about $16 million a year – is allocated to migraine research. $260 million would more accurately reflect the prevalence and magnitude of migraine.

If each of the 36 million people who have migraine donated just $1 each to migraine research, researchers could make enormous strides toward understanding and treating this disabling disorder. Imagine how much we could raise if all the people who love us also donated a $1. It’s not fair that we have to fund migraine research in addition to living with the burden of it, but if we don’t fund the search for a cure, no one will.

Please donate what you can to support the 36 Million Migraine campaign. Maybe you do so as a birthday gift to me as a thank you for how The Daily Headache has helped you, maybe it’s in honor of a loved one who triumphs over migraine every day, maybe it’s so your children or nieces and nephews won’t have a life devastated by migraine, maybe it’s for your own sake. Whatever the reason, please donate what you can to help find a cure for migraine.

Want to learn more? Visit the 36 Million Migraine website or read this informative brochure (PDF). That’s where the list of facts at the beginning of this post is from.

Thank you to everyone who has already donated through Crowdrise!

Community, News & Research, Society

Donate to the 36 Million Migraine Campaign to Wish Me a Happy Birthday!

Kerrie Smyres

Many of you have expressed a desire to buy me a cup of coffee as a thank you for my work on The Daily Headache. My 37th birthday is coming up and there’s no greater gift I could receive than for The Daily Headache’s readers to further migraine research by donating to the American Migraine Foundation’s 36 Million Migraine campaign.

Whether you can only spare the couple dollars you’d spend on a cup of coffee or your budget will allow for a larger donation, every contribution helps further migraine research. That’s the gist of the campaign — if each of the 36 million Americans who have migraine donated just $1, we’d have $36 million to investigate the causes of and treatment for this life-altering disorder.

36 Million Migraine via The Daily Headache

Of course, not all 36 million migraineurs read The Daily Headache, so I’ve set my birthday fundraising goal at a modest $1,000. Please consider donating whatever you can spare to better the lives of everyone who lives with this poorly understood, debilitating illness.

I’ve set up a 36 Million Migraine via The Daily Headache donation page on Crowdrise so we can see how much The Daily Headache readers contribute toward the goal. If Crowdrise’s $10 minimum donation isn’t in your budget, you can donate through the American Migraine Foundation. I’m using my birthday to drum up support, but it doesn’t matter where you donate or if you mention The Daily Headache or me — it’s all about raising money for migraine research.

P.S. Click on the orange “Optional Processing Fee” text on the Crowdrise donation page if you do not wish to pay an additional amount for processing (or if you wish to pay more in support of Crowdrise!).

News & Research, Society, Treatment

36 Million Migraine Campaign

Kerrie Smyres

Migraine treatment is sparse and woefully inadequate, in large part because research is severely underfunded for this disorder despite the fact that 36 million Americans have it. Less than 1/20th of 1% of the National Institutes of Health’s budget is allotted for migraine research. That’s about $16 million; $260 million is the amount that would accurately represent the prevalence and magnitude migraine.

Some astonishing facts about migraine: 36million

The 36 Million Migraine campaign, sponsored by the American Migraine Foundation, seeks to remedy this disparity. If every single American with migraine donated just one dollar, they could raise $36 million for migraine research. If you reached a little deeper in your pockets or encouraged your loved ones to donate for migraine research, just think of the impact we could have.

Learn more about the campaign in this brief brochure (PDF), on the AMF’s website, and in the campaign kick-off interview with spokesperson Cindy McCain. Then make your donation of any amount online or by texting 36mill to 50555 to donate $10 today. And encourage your loved ones to kick in a few bucks, too. We desperately need the research!