****From the office of Public Relations****  

The petition to the Discovery Channel is still online and available for more signatures for those who missed it so far! This petition is to request that the Discovery Channel do a documentary on gastroparesis in order to increase awareness of the condition. The petition is located at www.petitionpetition.com/cgi/petition.cgi?id=4321 Please contact Colleen Udell at cudell@g-pact.org with any questions regarding the petition. (****PETITION NOW CLOSED, PLEASE LOOK FOR FUTURE PETITIONS****) 

Additional PR news: 
-Liz Coats, Director of PR, has recently mailed a number of letters to various magazines in an attempt to get coverage in a magazine. If you have any suggestions or recommendations along this line please contact Liz at lcoats@g-pact.org 
-Working on establishing national in-person support groups nationwide. 
-Public Relations is in the process of selecting more volunteers to work in that department. If you have an interest, please contact Liz at lcoats@g-pact.org or call 1-888-820-0729 x. 85  

****The Latest from the Research Department****  

-If you are a researcher, doctor, or other related medical professional and would like to learn more about the G-PACT research department, please e-mail Cindy at cporter@g-pact.org or call us at 1-888-820-0729 x 86

-Research is still conducting our survey among gastroparesis patients in an effort to look for possible common connections between symptoms, other conditions, health history as a child, etc. Please contact Research and Development at research@g-pact.org for more information or to express an interest in taking part in this survey.

-Another petition is online at http://www.ipetitions.com. This petition is an effort to get the FDA to re-evaluate its decision to not approve domperidone, the only medication available to address delayed gastric emptying. Those in need of this medication must order it from other countries and must pay for it in full since US insurance companies will not cover it since it is not available in the US . Please consider signing this petition to bring a potentially helpful motility drug back into the US .

-There is a petition online in the Gastroparesis Support Group (members only). This petition is in regards to weight (overweight and/or underweight) and if it is a factor in pre-disposition to developing GP. Information on this study is conflicting at this time.

-Writing to American Diabetes Association to inquire on the reverse relation of one with GP and a family history of Diabetes-do they eventually develop Diabetes. If so to what degree?