Help Long COVID Advocates Come to May 23 Senate NIH Hearing

This coming Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 10am ET in Washington DC, NIH leaders will testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee on NIH funding for FY25. How much exactly? $50 Billion in U.S. government funding is on the table.

It will be one of the few public moments that the Long COVID community will have before the November election to make sure Congress, the NIH and Biden Administration don't forget the 17 million Americans still waiting for any FDA approved treatments, tests-- or any sense of urgency from our leaders.

We want to help disabled and diverse people impacted by Long COVID to be able to attend-- so that we’re in the room when NIH decisions and policies about us are being decided by our elected leaders.

As this Senate hearing was only announced a week before convening, individual advocates and groups across the Long COVID community have been organizing as quickly as possible-- including mutual aid and support so people living with chronic illness and disabilities from Long COVID and on limited incomes can safely travel to Washington DC at short notice.

This is bare-bones, grassroots, open source organizing. Long COVID patient Meighan Stone (Twitter: @meighanstone) has set up this GoFundMe in response to the many community requests for an opportunity to give towards this moment and help our voices be heard. Once in Washington DC, the Long COVID Campaign (www.longcovidcampaign.org) will be supporting advocates on media and outreach.

100% of your donation will go directly to providing stipends to disabled and chronically ill Long COVID advocates who otherwise would not be able to travel to join the hearing in Washington DC, and help contribute to overall event organizing and outreach efforts.

Funds will be distributed quickly as received, and will not be funneled through or given to one organization or entity, but instead used to support community-wide needs around this Senate hearing and advocacy opportunity.

Please note, GoFundMe donations aren't tax-deductible, so you will not be able to claim your donation on your tax return. We appreciate your understanding, as this is a GoFundMe policy.

If you want to make a tax-deductible donation to the Long COVID Campaign of more than $1000, please reach out directly to Meighan Stone through this GoFundMe fundraising page's messaging option, and she will be happy to assist you on making that generous gift.

Thanks for your voice, support and solidarity! With your help, we're going to do all we can on Thursday, May 23 18 to call on Congressional leaders and the NIH to do more, faster, to help Long COVID patients and caregivers.