Help us federally recognize May as PSP Awareness Month

The below message will be sent to the elected representatives for your district. While not required, please feel free to add a brief (recommended: no more than a few sentences) personal message to accompany it. Thank you for advocating with CurePSP!

In September 2023, your colleague, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (serving the 10th District of VA), announced that she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). In a crucial effort to shine light on this to complex disease, she is working to recognize May as PSP Awareness Month.  

PSP is a neurodegenerative condition that occurs when a buildup of a protein called tau damages brain cells, particularly in parts of the brain that control speech, balance, coordination and eye movement. While some effects of PSP appear similar to those of Parkinson’s disease, it is a distinct condition that impacts approximately 30,000 individuals. Although PSP is largely unknown to the average person and even many medical providers, it is believed to be as common as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s). 

As a rapidly progressive condition, most people living with PSP will become dependent on care in just three or four years, with a severe impact on their quality of life. On average, it has a life expectancy of seven to eight years from symptom onset. There are no known treatments or cure for PSP at present and the diagnosis can only be definitively confirmed post-mortem. 

As someone personally impacted by PSP, I believe that raising awareness, especially among our legislators, is essential to make progress against this disease. As your constituent, I urge you to co-sponsor this resolution and show
your support for the PSP community in your district and across the country.  

To cosponsor, please contact Amelia Faraco-Hadlock (amelia.faraco-hadlock@mail.house.gov) in Representative Wexton’s office.