Autism Groups Support XMRV Research and Ask for YOUR Help!
By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.
Generation Rescue, Talk About Curing Autism, and the National Autism Association are teaming up to ask their members to vote for the Whittemore-Peterson Institutue for Neuro-Immune Diseases/University of Nevada-Reno in the Chase Community Giving Project, which ends on May 25.
In the first round, the Whittemore-Peterson Institute finished fifth in overall voting. This won them $25,000. The difference between fifth and first place was three thousand votes. In the second round the first place winner will receive $500,000.
Readers of this website know I've written many times about the work of the Whittemore-Peterson Institute and their work with XMRV retrovirus and autism. It's no secret I consider this to be one of the more promising areas of inquiry. Chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and autism share a number of immune system abnormalities.
However, the fact that Generation Rescue, Talk About Curing Autism, and the National Autism Association have agreed to help with this effort shows that this opinion is not held by me alone. I was also heartened to receive an e-mail the other day from Dr. Amy Yasko, letting me know she was also going to vote for the Whittemore-Peterson Institutue.
Let me tell you why I think that this vote is good for our community. We have long needed a world class facility dedicated to studying the problems of our children, staffed by scientists who are not afraid to ask challenging questions. I believe that describes the Whittemore-Peterson Institutue and the people who work in it. For those who believe this to be a worthwhile cause I strongly encourage people to get friends and relatives to vote as well. I have set a personal goal of gathering 100 votes from family and friends. I am currently at 10% of my goal.
After you vote for the Whittemore-Peterson Institute you will have four other votes to share among other charities you desire. Here is how you can vote.
STEP-BY-STEP Instructions:
1. From your Facebook page, go to Chase Giving Community:
http://www.facebook.com/ChaseCommunityGiving
2. "Like" the Chase Giving Community by clicking on the "Like" button.
3. Now search for Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease.
4. Cast your vote by clicking the "Vote Now!" button.
5. Search other organizations for whom you want to vote, up to 5 per Facebook account.
Voting for round two is May 19 – May 25
Kent Heckenlively is a Contributing Editor to Age of Autism
There is another facebook vote that started today to win funding for WPI, you vote everyday until Aug 27th.
log into facebook
go to http://www.facebook.com/VivintHome and "Like"
then go to voting page here
http://www.vivint.com/givesbackproject/charity/769
login and allow permission, and then scroll down, the vote button is at the bottom
vote everyday. The WPI will win $250,000 if they come first overall, and $100,000 if they come first in their region.
Right now they are 164 votes away from the top overall, and they are first in their region. We need to keep them at the top of their region, and try to get them to the top overall, so vote for WPI everyday.
Posted by: A | June 14, 2011 at 04:26 PM
The voting closes in 2 days, please vote NOW!!
Posted by: Natasa | May 23, 2011 at 07:54 AM
Mike:
It goes something like this:
Prior to the WPI saying this virus could replicate out of control due to an immunization, thus confirming the observations of thousands of autism parents, they were always getting government research grants. I mean, they are a university lab, and the first in the world dedicated solely to neuro-immune diseases.
After this comment was made at a private meeting with the Cleveland Clinic, National Academy of Science Member, John Coffin, called the WPI and told them they had ruined XMRV.
The WPI has now submitted something like ten grant applications and everything has been turned down.
You need only look at HIV/AIDS as a model. If a child is born with HIV, they make sure the virus is under control, BEFORE giving a vaccination because the virus hides out in the cells of the immune system, and thus a virus which the immune system may have under control is subsequently not under control.
As an example I called up the UCSF AIDS center and talked to their media person and without even bringing up the vaccination question, told him about this type of retrovirus being found in children with autism. He immediately said, "Oh, that would explain why children develop autism after a vaccination," citing what I previously said about HIV/AIDS.
You could have picked me up off the floor!
Does that help?
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | May 22, 2011 at 11:11 AM
Kent, you wrote: "The attempt to starve the WPI is no different is no different than the persecution of Wakefield. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
Perhaps it's just morbid curiosity, but perhaps it might yield helpful insights for fighting back if you would, please, elaborate on what is known about ongoing and anticipated attempts to starve the WPI and its allies?
Looking forward to learning more from you next week at A1...
Posted by: Mike Sullivan | May 22, 2011 at 01:07 AM
WPI is the BEST research org out there! They are really fighting for us and doing absolutely brilliant, solid and cutting edge science and moving it toward real treatments. Everyone PLEASE vote for WPI and ask your friends to. This is an amazing opportunity for patients of all neuro-immune diseases.
Posted by: Justin Reilly, esq. | May 21, 2011 at 10:15 PM
Thank you so much Kent for posting this. It would really help too if you reposted the message on your own facebook pages, here is an easy cut and paste message you could use:
The mother of a child disabled by a chronic illness has asked me to ask you to vote for a worthy cause in the Chase Community Giving contest. Please click on this link and vote for the Whittemore Peterson Institute, it takes about 10 seconds & your vote is really important. http://tinyurl.com/wpiround2 It's a quick, easy thing & lots of people will be helped if this charity wins. She thanks you & I thank you.
Posted by: Lilly Meehan | May 21, 2011 at 05:17 PM
Stand and fight my brothers and sisters in the autism struggle! This offers us real hope!
Just re-read this from Thomas Paine, written in the darkest days of the American Revolution.
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands NOW, deserves the love and thanks of every man and woman."
The attempt to starve the WPI is no different is no different than the persecution of Wakefield. FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
Posted by: Kent Heckenlively | May 21, 2011 at 12:42 PM
Thanks Kent! Everyone please vote!
I wish autism organizations and ME/CFS organization could unite permanently in the fight against neuro-immune diseases. We could be so powerful all together, and we need this to go against Big Pharma and the denial triad: no epidemic, no vector, no root cause.
Posted by: Karin | May 21, 2011 at 09:50 AM
Thanks Kent. I hope every one votes and asks friends and family.
Posted by: Jill Justiss | May 21, 2011 at 09:03 AM