Sample letters to the NSW Health Minister

Below are four sample letters you may wish to adapt and use, if you are having a little difficulty writing your own letter.  They are:

• a very short letter
• a slightly longer letter from a lyme sufferer
• a slightly longer letter from a carer
• a slightly longer letter from a concerned citizen

It is important to write your letter in your own words as far as you can. If politicians or bureaucrats see a lot of form letters arriving, while they will pay attention, they will not give them as much mind as letters that people have taken the time to write themselves. As well, if you are a lyme sufferer or close to a sufferer, you want to tell your own story. However, not everyone finds letter writing easy, especially if they are sick and busy and cannot concentrate. Your letter does not need to be long. You just need to say why you are writing, and what you want.  That is very important – you have to actually ask them to do something.

To help you, I have drafted some simple letters below.  First up is a very simple, straightforward letter.  Following that are three slightly longer letters, the first from a lyme sufferer, the second from the parent of Billy, a lyme patient, and the third from Josephine Q, a concerned citizen.  Feel free to cut and paste, but remember to adapt it to your circumstances.

You may wish to send a copy to your NSW local member, whose details can be found here.

A short letter

Your Address
Date

The Hon. Jillian Skinner, MP
Minister for Health and Medical Research
Level 31 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Ms Skinner,

I am writing to you because I [am suffering from lyme disease/ am a carer for a person suffering from lyme disease / am concerned about the public health risk of lyme disease in NSW].

I call on you to do more about this.  I want:

• Better education for health professionals in NSW so that they know Lyme exists and treat it before it debilitates people
• Proper treatment for people suffering from lyme disease
• Acknowledgement of locally occuring lyme disease, and more research into this.
Thank you for your attention.  I shall be in contact again soon.

Yours faithfully

See – it is as simple as that.  Examples of slightly longer letters are:

A letter from a Lyme sufferer

Your Address
Date

The Hon. Jillian Skinner, MP
Minister for Health and Medical Research
Level 31 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000

Dear Ms Skinner,

I am writing to you because I have been diagnosed with Lyme disease.

As this disease is not recognised as occurring in NSW, my diagnosis has taken many years.  If there was proper awareness of this disease and its treatment, I could have commenced treatment many years ago.  I could have avoided many years of sickness.

Because the disease is not recognised in NSW, you do not keep records of people like me.  You have no idea that people like me exist, so I am forced to write to you to tell you.  As awareness starts to spread in the community, we are no becoming aware that there are hundreds and possibly thousands of people in my situation.

What I am after is:
• Better education for health professionals in NSW so that they know Lyme exists and treat it before it debilitates people
• Treatment centres for Lyme treatment, so that people like me can get appropriate antibiotic treatment easily, and all the other treatments we require (hospitals generally do not provide proper treatment, because of course the disease does not exist here).  Even with my diagnosis, proper treatment is difficult to obtain.
• More research into locally occurring Lymes disease.

It is just wrong that it takes years to obtain a proper diagnosis.  It is wrong that I have to seek assistance with my treatment overseas.  Please take action about this.

If you are interested in this, please google “Karl McManus Foundation” or “Lyme Disease Association of Australia”.

Thank you for your attention.  I shall be in contact again soon.

Yours faithfully

A letter from a carer

Your Address
Date

The Hon. Jillian Skinner, MP
Minister for Health and Medical Research
Level 31 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Ms Skinner,

I am writing to you because I am a carer for my child who suffers from Lyme disease.

As this disease is not recognised as occurring in NSW, Billy’s diagnosis has taken many years.  If there was proper awareness of this disease and its treatment, he could have commenced treatment many years ago.  Through his years of suffering, he has missed much of his childhood, and years of education.  He did not have to suffer this way.  You can do something about this.

What I am after is:
• Better education for health professionals in NSW so that they know Lyme exists and treat it before it debilitates people
• Treatment centres for Lyme treatment, so that people like my son can get appropriate antibiotic treatment easily, and all the other treatments he requires (hospitals generally do not provide proper treatment, because of course the disease does not exist here).  Proper treatment is still difficult to obtain, even though we now know what is wrong with him.
• More research into locally occurring Lymes disease.
It should not have taken years to diagnose what is wrong with my son.  It is wrong that I have to seek assistance with his treatment overseas. It is not fair that we have been worried and tormented about this for years, when governments and the medical profession could have done something about it.

I invite you to please google “Karl McManus Foundation” or “Lyme Disease Association of Australia”, to find out more about this

Thank you for your attention.  I shall be in contact again soon.

Yours faithfully

A letter from a concerned citizen

Your Address
Date

The Hon. Jillian Skinner, MP
Minister for Health and Medical Research
Level 31 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY NSW 2000
Dear Ms Skinner,

I am writing to you because I have become aware that Lyme disease is widespread in NSW, yet little if nothing is being done to educate health professionals or adequately treat sufferers.

It is wrong that in an advanced nation, a major public health risk is being ignored.  The disease is debilitating and ruins lives.  In the worst cases, it can kill.  I call on you to do something about this situation.

A good start would be:
• Better education for health professionals in NSW so that they know Lyme exists and treat it before it debilitates people
• Treatment centres for Lyme treatment.
• Recognition that Lyme Disease occurs here, and more research into locally occurring Lymes disease.

I invite you to please google “Karl McManus Foundation” or “Lyme Disease Association of Australia”, to find out more about this

Thank you for your attention.  I shall be in contact again.

Yours faithfully