FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

20 January 2008

For More Information:
Corin Walson, APR
714-921-8850 (w)
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“The Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care”

National Fibromyalgia Association to Unveil Unprecedented Call to Action
During Press Conference at National Press Club

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III and Wife, Frances to be Presented as NFA’s National Spokespersons

ANAHEIM, Calif.---The National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) will be presenting Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III and his wife, Frances Winfield Bremer, as the NFA’s new spokespersons to unveil "The Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care" on January 24, 2008 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. starting at 9:00 a.m.

The Pledge is made up of three parts, including “The National Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care”; “The Caregiver’s Pledge to Care”; and “The Health Care Provider’s Pledge to Care.”

During the press conference, the NFA will announce, through the Pledges, the details of an unprecedented national “call to action” to patients, policymakers, business leaders and the media to respond to the scientific, medical and caregiving challenges faced by the fibromyalgia population.
 
“Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain  disorder that affects 6 to 10 million Americans, however recent health care reform legislation and biased attitudes towards people with fibromyalgia, continue to prevent them from receiving adequate and appropriate access to medical care,” said Lynne Matallana, president and founder of the National Fibromyalgia Association. “Family members and other caregivers play an important role in the treatment of the person with fibromyalgia, yet many are still not well informed or know how best to care for their loved one. The ‘Fibromyalgia Pledge to Care’ is designed to help raise awareness for fibromyalgia, and provide a tool which will encourage others to join us in our national efforts to insure fibromyalgia patients access to better medical care.”

Participants to speak at the press conference include:

Frances Winfield Bremer
Spokesperson, National Fibromyalgia Association
Washington, D.C.
Frances Winfield Bremer, wife of Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III, became the spokesperson for the National Fibromyalgia Association in October 2007. In the early years of their diplomatic career, the Bremers served in Africa where Frances “Francie” Bremer contracted malaria—twice.  A few years and two children later, they were posted back to Washington and she began to suffer from widespread pain that she described to her husband as feeling like she was being “roasted on a spit.” After numerous tests by her primary physician to try to identify the cause of the problem, he sent her to a rheumatologist who diagnosed her with fibromyalgia. Nearly 25 years after her diagnosis, Francie Bremer has learned to live with this disorder that affects up to 10 million other Americans but is still relatively unknown and underfunded. A teacher, writer and artist, Francie copes with her illness through rest, medication, and prayer.  Mrs. Bremer is not being compensated by the National Fibromyalgia Association for her role as spokesperson.

Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, III
Washington, D.C.
Ambassador Bremer was appointed Presidential Envoy to Iraq in 2003 by President George W. Bush. As her spouse and primary caregiver, Amb. Bremer will be supporting his wife’s advocacy by making joint media appearances with her in the upcoming year.  Amb. Bremer says he wants to help Francie raise awareness of fibromyalgia and highlight the importance of the role family members play in the care of the person with fibromyalgia.  Amb. Bremer is the author of My Year In Iraq (Simon Schuster 2006).

Daniel J. Clauw, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Daniel Clauw is a Professor of Medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor. He serves as Executive Director of the Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center and Director of the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research at the University of Michigan. Additionally, he was appointed Assistant Dean for Clinical and Translational Research within the University of Michigan Medical School in 2004. Dr. Clauw is committed to the clinical care and research into overlapping conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome and Gulf War illnesses. He leads a multidisciplinary team of collaborators at the University of Michigan, Georgetown University, the NIH, Department of Defense and Veteran’s Administration, and other academic medical centers, who are studying the mechanisms and most effective treatments of these illnesses.

Lynne Matallana
President & Founder, National Fibromyalgia Association
Anaheim, CA
Lynne Matallana founded the National Fibromyalgia Association in 1997, two years after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Ms. Matallana is widely recognized for her commitment to raising awareness of fibromyalgia.  She has received many honors, including 2008 Advocacy for People with Pain Award from the American Academy of Pain Management, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner’s Special Citation.  She also serves as a member of the FDA Patient Representative Advisory Committee. Her dedication to helping others with the condition has led to many leadership opportunities in the fibromyalgia community.  Ms. Matallana serves as a board member for the Fibromyalgia Research & Education Center at California State University, Fullerton; Department of Health Sciences’ Community Advisory Board; and Women with Pain Coalition.  She is also the Editor-In-Chief of the NFA’s award winning magazine, Fibromyalgia AWARE, and published a book with Penguin Putnam Press, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to: Fibromyalgia.

Patrick B. Wood, MD
Chief Medical Officer, Angler Biomedical Technologies, LLC
Chief Medical Advisor, National Fibromyalgia Association
Dr. Wood is Chief Medical Officer for Angler Biomedical Technologies, a private company whose primary focus is improving the understanding and treatment of fibromyalgia.  He formerly directed the Fibromyalgia Research Program and Fibromyalgia Care Clinic at LSU Health Sciences Center, where he served as assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine with adjunct appointments in the Departments of Anesthesiology and Psychiatry.  Dr. Wood attended medical school and completed residency training in Family Medicine at LSU Health Science Center in Shreveport, Louisiana. Following his residency, he undertook an additional research fellowship in Psychopharmacology and Neuroimaging within the LSU Department of Psychiatry.  He has also served as Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he evaluated the reactivity of mesolimbic dopamine in response to noxious stimulation in patients with fibromyalgia.  He has been twice recognized by the National Institutes of Health for his innovative research. 

About the National Fibromyalgia Association:
The National Fibromyalgia Association is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to develop and execute programs dedicated to improving the quality of life for people with fibromyalgia by increasing the awareness of the public, media, government and medical communities. www.FMaware.org