Trigeminal Neuralgia Facial Pain Association TNA TN National Conference Brian Nelson Shelly Wilson Portland ORegon Support Group National Conference Portland Oregaon Sept 14-16, 2006

Updated 5-09-06

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At a recent TNA regional conference, participants were asked to raise their hands if they were in pain right

then or if they had been in pain in the last 24 hours. A sea of hands went up. We see this sea of hands

monthly at support group meetings across the country.

"Inside Edition," a syndicated television news program, read a newspaper article that described TN as more

painful than childbirth. Working with TNA, they developed a feature story about two patients struggling with TN.

After the spot aired, they received a huge response on their website. Many of those people have now turned to

us for help and support.

An increasing number of requests come to our national office for information and support…questions about medications, surgeries, complementary and alternative therapies, how to find a doctor, what to do when pain

returns and even questions about what to do when the will to endure the pain is no longer there.

These are glimpses of the unacceptable face of pain,

and a reminder of how much more we need to achieve to end the pain.

TNA's programs are a response to our patients' needs, and over 25,000 individuals have contacted us for help.

We provide support groups, one-on-one patient support, books, patient educational materials, the TNALERT,

an increasingly informative website, toll-free telephone numbers, professional education, a Patient Registry,

and national and regional conferences.

But until we end the pain, TNA must achieve more. We need:

• More outreach to professionals to reduce the time it takes for TN and facial pain to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.
• More support groups so that patients can come together and share their experiences.
• More publications on how to deal with pain.
• And more research to find answers to complex questions about the origins of facial pain, better treatments

and, of course, a cure.

Our tag line, "Together we will end the pain!" makes clear that a partnership between TNA and patients is

essential if we are to continue to meet the increasing demand for our services and to accomplish our important goals. We need your partnership to develop the most effective programs for TNA and to educate others about

TN and other related face pain and its devastating effect on the lives of patients and their families. And we need

your partnership in the form of financial support.

It is your contributions and gifts that make it possible for TNA to exist and to meet the increasing demand for

our services. If we do not have your financial support, we will not be able to better understand the causes of

face pain, create better treatments, and find a cure.

Some of you have been generous supporters for many years. Some of you are new donors. However, we need support from everyone whose lives have been touched by TN and facial pain. We need patients, their families

and friends. We need foundations, corporations, professionals and civic organizations. Together, we need to

end the pain of TN and all facial pain!

So please make a generous tax-deductible contribution to TNA now. We can promise you that your gift will

help us to eliminate the unacceptable face of pain.

Sincerely,

Roger Levy

TNA Chair

Board of Directors