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Mark Johnson, J.D., chair of ATA's Board of Directors, recently wrote a letter to ATA supporters. Mark highlights some of our recent successes and challenges, and urges you to continue helping ATA fight to find a cure for tinnitus. Mark's letter is below.

Dear Friends,

For the first time in quite a while, it feels like the tide is turning for those of us suffering with tinnitus. Momentum is with us, and I am writing to you today to ask that you support ATA in our efforts to once and for all find a cure for tinnitus. As a long time member, and Chair of ATA's Board of Directors, I am excited to share with you some of the good news, and I urge you to help ATA with a generous gift to keep this momentum going.

LET'S FIND A CURE

Of the utmost interest to many who suffer with tinnitus is the question, "When will there be a cure?" Fortunately, advances in tinnitus research are leading to a greater understanding of the nature of tinnitus. This, in turn, is allowing for researchers to develop new, more advanced approaches to treating tinnitus. Every year, ATA funds a variety of research projects that aim to advance the science behind tinnitus and to find new treatments.

In the past year, ATA funded a project by Berthold Langguth, M.D., Ph.D., to optimize the use of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation – rTMS for short. This therapy has shown great promise as a non-invasive treatment using electromagnetism to inhibit neuron excitability in the brain. ATA members Walter and Lucille Rubin were so impressed with Dr. Langguth's work that they donated $100,000 to ATA's Research Fund for two additional research projects. ATA members can read more about these newly funded grants in an upcoming issue of Tinnitus Today.

I hope that the Rubins' generosity is a call to arms for all. For it will take all of us, working together, to find a cure. Your gifts to ATA sustain our work, as we are fully funded by our donors. Without your support, without your willingness to help ATA continue to help the millions suffering with tinnitus, we would not be able to do what we do. So thank you from the bottom of my heart!

LET'S RAISE AWARENESS

Your generosity will continue to help ATA blaze the trail for greater awareness of the torment that tinnitus can cause. Our efforts in Washington, D.C., have focused primarily on members of the armed services and the incredible numbers who suffer with tinnitus. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), tinnitus is the #1 service-connected disability for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

What does this mean for you? With ATA's continued efforts, tinnitus remains a priority funding area for specific National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, and VA programs. In fact, as part of your membership, ATA is now able to offer you a version of a new tinnitus treatment and educational program, the Progressive Tinnitus Management program, developed by the VA's National Center of Rehabilitative Auditory Research.

Since 2005, when the government truly began to pay attention to tinnitus, ATA has helped exponentially increase the amount being spent on tinnitus research - from just over a million dollars per year to tens of millions. With your support, we can keep advocating that the government continue to treat tinnitus as a priority research area.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER!

Everyday ATA supporters like you are the key to our success. ATA’s Board of Directors just held our annual meeting in Phoenix to coincide with the AZ Walk to Silence Tinnitus. Started last year by a dedicated group of volunteers and tinnitus professionals, the AZ Walk has become a model of how we can all work together to accomplish something great, and is just one example of the power of working together. With the support of their families and friends, community partners and corporate sponsors, over the past two years the AZ Walk has raised enough to fund several graduate research projects on its own!

As you may recall, last year marked ATA’s 40^th anniversary. We highlighted the advances and changes that ATA and our members have helped foster in the world of tinnitus treatment and research. As we look ahead to the next chapter in our fight, your support is crucial to the success of our efforts.

Our work together, as a united front in the fight to find a cure for tinnitus, has resulted in incredible advances in the understanding of tinnitus. It has brought us closer than ever to discovering new treatments that might restore a sense of silence to those suffering with tinnitus. And, it is with your help that we continue our good work.

Please support ATA with a generous gift today.

Sincerely,

Mark K. Johnson, J.D.
Chair, ATA Board of Directors 

Remember, all contributions of $40* or more, from time of receipt at ATA headquarters, automatically renews or starts your membership. All contributions are tax-deductible.

*There are two basic ATA membership levels:

• $35 for Online membership
• $40 for Full membership ($55 outside the U.S.)