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I had TONS of responses and everyone is in agreement. It was suggested that, not only should readers of the listserve email Oprah but, also, friends and families do it, too. I had several other good suggestions, such as contacting 20/20, Dateline and 60 Minutes. We could all do that, too. For those shows I think you just go to www.abc.com, www.nbc.com and www.cbs.com. Most wanted the email address for Oprah. Go to www.Oprah.com and scroll down to "email us". Then go to "Tell us your story". Once in there you have a choice to email the show or O Magazine. My suggestion is that we all email both with our own Celiac stories. There is also a section for show ideas and it would be good to send an email in that section, too. The consensus is to send our emails THIS weekend. That way Monday at Oprah.com they will have lots of Celiac stories to read. It was also suggested that the emails be tied in to a certain subject in order that they might get more attention. The show on female infertility that was just aired was one suggestion and another was the Food Allergen Bill. Another is October being Celiac Awareness Month. Since Oprah.com gets so many emails, I believe it is important to keep emailing every week with Celiac stories and requests for a show on it. It is also important for us to mention books (such as "Going Against The Grain" by Melissa Diane Smith) since a lot of times Oprah's shows are based around a book, and also professionals (Dr. Murray was mentioned) who are experts in the research of Celiac Disease. I'm not saying that I know these people or have contacted these people about any of this. I don't and I haven't. It would just give the producers the opportunity to dig deeper into the subject. We could also include in our emails connections to related research articles (ones that have references in them) and websites. Although I realize that food allergens are a problem for a lot of people, IMHO the idea behind this mass mailing is to get the focus on Celiac Disease, gluten, the fact that it is an autoimmune disorder (not an allergy) that is connected with other autoimmune disorders, the fact that it can kill if undiagnosed and the fact that it is so much more prevalent than once thought but is still going undiagnosed. Stories of how the disease has wreaked havoc on lives and how easily it all could have been avoided need to be told. Again, that's just my opinion. Remember, one time isn't going to cut it. We have to continue every week. Keep in mind that each email is read by a person. They do not respond to each and every email, but if something catches a producers eye, they will follow up. That's why it is so important to continue with the emails and not just do it this one time. I'm heading to Oprah.com. Hope everyone will do the same!
Debbie/AZ
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