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National Fibromyalgia Research Association The idea of the National Fibromyalgia Research Association was formed in late 1992 by founder Jack Scott. NFRA received its non profit status in 1993, and is dedicated to Fibromyalgia education, treatment, and cure. NFRA has funded more than $240,000 in Fibromyalgia research. Since 1993 FMS researchers Dr. I. Jon Russell, of the University of Texas at San Antonio, Dr. Muhammad Yunus of the University of Illinois at Peoria; and Dr. Robert Bennett of the Oregon Health Sciences University have all received funding from the NFRA. In 1994, by personally lobbying Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield, the National Fibromyalgia Research Association was instrumental in helping gain aggressive wording in the U.S. Congressional Appropriations Committee's recommendation to the National Institutes of Health regarding Fibromyalgia recognition and research. In that same year the NIH offered $1.4 million in Fibromyalgia research funding and awarded grants for five FMS research projects. Just before his retirement in September, Senator Hatfield called Jack Scott and assured him he would meet with Dr. Steven Katz, Director of the National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, to encourage him to aggressively seek funds from his overall NIH budget increase for FNIS research funding. Dr. Katz followed tip his meeting with Senator Hatfield with a letter to Mr. Scott detailing the outcome of that meeting, which resulted in several newly funded NIH Fibromyalgia research projects. NFRA is also committed to Fibromyalgia education. To meet its physician enlightenment goal, the National Fibromyalgia Research Association has distributed more than 12,000 information packets at annual national medical conferences. As part of their commitment to patient education, NFRA helped the Oregon Fibromyalgia Foundation present the 1996 Fibromyalgia Oregon Convention. In September more than 900 individuals attended this conference which offered an impressive list of FNIS speakers and educators. NFRA also provides resource information. Besides their Internet Web page at www.nfra.net, the Association supplies an updated FMS resource sheet and informational brochure to anyone asking for help. In the past four years these resources have been distributed to thousands of patients, their friends, families, and employers, free of charge. In 1995 NFRA helped produce the video Fibromyalgia Exercise-Stretching (for more on the video, see page 12). Early, in 1997 they hope to have a second video, Fibromyalgia Exercise-Strengthening ready for distribution. One hundred percent of donated funds go to FNIS research and education. Your contributions are needed to continue the kind of services NFRA has been supplying since its Inception four years ago. Any donation made, to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association will be used to find answers to this puzzling illness which has invaded your life. |
