Never think that a small voice floating in the ether can't be heard. It can when we join together. In honour of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), running with Flicka's original idea, and in the spirit of community--a surge of blogtavism.On Thursday, November 8th, Flicka and I are pulling together a project we are calling Twelve and a Half Fighting Back. The twelve-and-a-half are the 12.5% of the population experiencing infertility and recurrent pregnancy loss. This project's purpose is two-fold. It is a push for a letter-writing campaign during an election year and it is an amalgamation of stories, putting a very human touch to an experience that is often held at arm's length by politicians and the general public.
For the letter writing campaign, click here to read more on Flicka's blog and see how you can participate.
For the My Story project, create and post a four paragraph description of your own experience with infertility/pregnancy loss/adoption highlighting either what having insurance coverage or adoption benefits allowed you to do or how your story could have been different with mandated coverage. Make sure your own voice comes through--this isn't a mere recitation of facts: it is your experience and your emotions. Talk as if you do have your congressperson's ear for a moment: what would you want them to know about your experience? Shorter is better--try to keep your story down to 4 paragraphs. Post any time between now and November 8th (I will continue to add links to stories after November 8th, but this list is going up then and your story will have maximum exposure if you post by then).
I will be keeping a list of participants and adding permalinks to the main post (whenever you post, send me the link to the post as well as your blog name and the name you'd like to have appear next to the story). We are trying to bank on the attention right now coming from the Weblog Awards, but even if I don't win, we're working to get this list of stories and letter writing campaign into the newspaper and Internet coverage. We will get our words out there into the general population's consciousness.
Anyone in the infertility/pregnancy loss/adoption community (in other words, all 1000 blogs on the blogroll as well as all the ones I haven't found yet) can be a blogtavist on this project. Use your sliver of the Internet to bring attention to the issues affecting us right now--especially the ones senators and congressmen can address and affect while in office. If you plan on participating, please leave a note below or simply email me (thetowncriers@gmail.com) the link whenever you post.
23 comments:
I'm in - our state (AZ) has no mandated coverage for infertility at all. Which means unless we get really lucky or win the lottery, our family cannot grow. I hope this will do some good to those in similar positions as us.
Nessa--hope you get this! I can't get on your blog from your profile. If you write about the lack of coverage and what it means, will you send me the link (thetowncriers@gmail.com)?
I wrote my story. Sorry, my email is being cranky today so I'm just posting the link and such here.
Roy
my blog: http://makingtoysoldiers.blogspot.com/
my story: http://makingtoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2007/11/how-this-came-to-be-my-story.html
Hi!
Here is a link to my "My Story" post:
http://bonnie-ourjourney.blogspot.com/2007/11/my-story.html
My blog site is:
http://www.bonnie-ourjourney.blogspot.com
Title of blog: Our Journey
My name: Bonnie
This is such a neat idea. I hope my post works with what you wanted. Just let me know if you need any changes made and I'd be happy to do so.
Hope this is what you're looking for. It felt good to write it.
My story:
http://orlifeisabedofroses.blogspot.com/2007/11/vote.html
My blog: http://orlifeisabedofroses.blogspot.com
My name: Tracy
thanks, Mel.
I'll write a letter to my Canadian politicians! And maybe make a nice list of who to write to etc. for everyone else.
Just remind everybody to name their congressmen, and Senator specifically with their full names, no misspellings. These guys have google alerts set up on their names, and so do their critics and opponents.
They should send letters to the one holding office and whoever is running against them in the next election. And then cc. those letters or blog posts to the local media.
Write letters in your real names, but don't be afraid to blog it as well. Public and private both matter!
What an awesome idea! I'll be typing mine up tomorrow & getting back to ya. =)
ok Mel, I'm in:
http://theidlemindofbeth.blogspot.com/2007/11/blogtavism-my-story.html
Please use with my name as Beth.
Thanks, once again, for giving our community a unified voice.
my blog post
http://biscuit2.blogspot.com/2007/11/our-story.html
my blog is http://biscuit2.blogspot.com
Linda
Thank you for doing this.
My blog name: Life in the South
My blog: http://lovelifeinthesouth.blogspot.com
My story post: http://lovelifeinthesouth.blogspot.com/2007/11/blogtavism-my-story.html
Here is my link
http://infertilityadventure.blogspot.com/2007/11/money-matters.html
It is 4 paragraphs - hope they are not too long!
GL on the contest. I have emailed everyone I know who might just vote.
Heres mine:
http://arewethereyet0320.blogspot.com/2007/11/blogativism.html
Here's mine:
http://infertilefantasies.blogspot.com/2007/11/parental-responsibility-gift-of-proper.html
I honestly couldn't think of anything more to add from a "personal" point of view. Technical - well, we could go on for pages, couldn't we?
Bea
This is an awesome awareness campaign and as I have only just begun to stumble through the maze of the infertility tested, tried and stressed I find this a great asset. Thank you so much for the time and dedication ya'll are putting into this!
I blog about my infertility stresses at http://deardarla.typepad.com . I know I'm luckier than many and have the government's health care to start the testing but that well will run dry once we start heading past the clomid stages and into bigger drugs, invitro ... etc. Keep up the good work!
I am in. Just sent you the link with my post. It ended up being 5 paragraphs, mostly for effect-- I felt like separating the last bit out. Let me know if you'd rather I smushed it into 4.
I just wrote My Story, too. Thank you for making this effort happen: http://coming2terms.com/2007/11/08/blogtavism-my-story.aspx
I'm writing mine now and will post it as soon as I'm done.
www.pcosbaby.typepad.com
My story is up....I hope it is not too long....
Tina
Blog: http://my-many-blessings.blogspot.com
Story: http://my-many-blessings.blogspot.com/2007/11/my-if-and-rpl-story.html
My story is slightly different...a model of what GOOD coverage can achieve.
I just found thi today from the ad on Julie's site, but thought it was a great idea and had to add my story, even though it's three years old now. www.blissfullybitchy.blogspot.com
Here's my tale of secondary infertility can't get treatment woe:
http://summertime.blog-city.com/im_aware__too_aware.htm
My story:
http://saras-p.blogspot.com/2007/11/blogtavism.html
SaraS-P at The Island
I have a longer version of my story here:
http://www.fertilitystories.com/rachel.htm
Anyone who would like to have their story posted on fertilitystories is welcome to submit it there too, with a link back to your blog or website.
I'm in - I'm posting my story now. (A day late, but well let's not think about that shall we?)
www.serenitynowinfertile.wordpress.com
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