National Reye's Syndrome Foundation's Gifting Site
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In The News at the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation: Your Support Hard at Work
The National Reye's Syndrome Foundation acknowledges Proctor and Gamble Company, and labels them a Hero of Children, for their commitment to the health and well being of children; we profoundly thank them for their incredibly swift action surrounding the InstaCool marketing during the H1N1 flu season of 2009. The NRSF contacted Proctor and Gamble with a concern about the advertising, feeling that young adults may try to self-diagnose, and then self-medicate, using the InstaCool product without reading the warning label in regards to salicylate and Reye's Syndrome. Proctor and Gamble's quick reply was: "We understand the Foundation's sensitivity to this advertisement, especially when viewed against the backdrop of the H1N1 flu. This ad was produced in early 2009, before the particular characteristics of H1N1 were fully defined, and we did not intend to describe any of its symptoms", stated Thomas M. Finn, Proctor and Gamble President Global Health Care. "As a precautionary step, we have voluntarily and permanently discontinued this TV advertisement. It has been removed from all outlets and from our Pepto-Bismol channel on YouTube", he continued. "We thank you for your letter to help make certain our communications reinforce this purpose, and we share your goal of continuing to ensure safe and appropriate use of these products", states Finn. Thank You, Proctor and Gamble for listening, for your swift action, and mostly, for saving young lives. Thank you for being a Hero. In March of 2009, the Food Lion family of grocery stores, based in Salisbury, N.C., pledged to instruct all shelf stockers of aspirin and low-dose aspirin products to make certain the product was not placed in the infant or children's aisle of their more than 1,300 supermarkets and affiliated entities under the names of Food Lion, Bloom, Harveys and Reid's. Spokesperson Jason Stevens states "Although we are aware of no legal prohibition to the placement of baby aspirin in the baby aisles, we do agree that there are other, more optimal locations for these types of products. We have instructed our stores to ensure that they have moved the aspirin products to another section of our stores. If you become aware of any of our stores that have baby aspirin in the baby aisles, we would appreciate knowing about that – we always appreciate hearing from the community and eagerly look for ways to better serve it." Thank You Food Lion, Bloom, Harvey's and Reid's, along with parent company Delhaize America, for saving young lives! Thank you for being a Hero. Tracking Influenza, Chicken Pox and other Viral Outbreaks Influenza, Chicken Pox and Viral Outbreaks are not limited to the United States. These viral bugs march around the world in an almost predictable pattern. Once the flu, or chicken pox, has left the U.S., it shows up in Australia, then continues to migrate from one hemisphere to another. One area is inundated, then the next. The NRSF is on constant alert to provide Reye's Syndrome information around the world and in 27 languages.
We are not seasonal, not with such a small world at our door step. Just by watching the website traffic at www.ReyesSyndrome.Org, the NRSF's main educational website, the foundation can tell where the bugs are, how bad they are, and where they are heading next. It is a constant surveillance, a constant monitoring, a constant race to save young lives. Reye's Syndrome doesn't care if a child is American, Asian, Egyptian, Lebanese, Latin, Indian, or any other ethnicity. Country by Country, City by City, Family by Family, we reach out to warn caregivers about the risk of aspirin products in regard to viral illnesses. We see many Health Ministries from many small countries log in to the ReyesSyndrome.Org website and download material they can pass along to their school systems and throughout their villages. It is quite the accomplishment to see whole countries and cities log in for life saving information.
Yet, in the Philippines, mothers give children low dose aspirin and call it 'candy'. In some Mid-Eastern countries aspirin is prescribed to alleviate fever in children by French doctors. Willow bark tea, which is pure salicylate - the main ingredient in aspirin - is given to children for fever and viral illness.
And in this country, the United States, our phones ring off the hook from parents who have forgotten that Kids and Aspirin Products Don't Mix. They are frantic, and believe they have just killed their child. And sadly, perhaps they did. A teenager just "popped a couple of aspirin" for a headache without asking permission first. Our young people are exposed to "miracle" drug advertising on TV, the Internet, and YouTube. They see their parents using aspirin for everything from a headache to a stubbed toe, and aspirin is easily accessible in the medicine cabinet, or from a friend's purse. "It's only aspirin… how can that hurt you?"…. and never once did they read the label with the Reye's Syndrome Warning. Our work is not done. It seems to grow every day even as the world shrinks around us. As long as there are children to be protected, we will need your help to keep them safe. Your donations bring lifesaving information to more than just 1 child - it extends to a child's family, their community, and other children globally. Be a Hero, and help us keep children safe. For the first time, the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation has published a historical book that commemorates the history of the Foundation, shows the research that was funded and thanks our researchers, and acknowledges the families, organizations, celebrities, and children who help spread Reye's Syndrome Awareness over the past 35 years. Most of all, the book honors those who fell victim to Reye's Syndrome: We tell their stories.
The book is informative as it spans 3 and a half decades of hard work by thousands of dedicated people. The book is beautiful in its artwork and its quotes. The book is an acolade for researchers who today still struggle with the question; What is Reye's Syndrome? The book is a testament to the families of victims. The book is a time capsule of love and heartbreak, of accomplishment and breakthrough, and serves as an eternal remembrance of those loved and lost.
We thank NewPage Corporation for donating the paper for this historic project.
The 35 Year Commemorative Book is now available for purchase in our Store. The Foundation's 36th Annual Meeting was held in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, June 5th 2010. Board Members and Trustees stayed at the historic Washington Inn Bed and Breakfast in downtown Cedarburg. Keep checking back for the latest news from the National Reye's Syndrome Foundation |
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Note: The National Reye's Syndrome Foundation neither seeks nor receives government grants or funds for services rendered and depends totally on voluntary contributions for support of all programs. |