ABC's The View

Cammie16 · 07-01-2002, 07:08 PM

Ladies,
Here's the letter I sent Star Jones of ABC's The View.

Dear Star,
I enjoy The View but was very disappointed in your reaction to Dr Lamm's mention of PCOS on today's show. Although Dr Lamm gave some of the most dramatic (and horrifying) effects of this syndrome, your comment was something along the lines of "you need more help than we can give you!" Indeed that's true.
But you can still help.
PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) affects an estimated 13-20% of all American women. As Dr Lamm implied, it can affect all aspects of these women's lives and is one of the least understood disorders. There is no known male "counterpart" disorder and therefore very little interest, study, or focus on this syndrome until 1990. Still many women go undiagnosed.
You can help by bringing PCOS to the media. The more exposure it gets, the more likely we will find better ways to manage it, get HMOs to pay for treatment, prevent it, and even live full lives. Even if you just wear our pin on your wardrobe, it would bring attention to our cause.
Yes, our cause, I suffer from PCOS.
Your reaction to Dr Lamm's "worst case" description of PCOS, was how I feel many people react to me personally even though I don't have those horrible effects...yet. As studies improve our understanding of PCOS, I may avoid living the nightmare of what you so visibly recoiled from in Dr Lamm’s description.
Please learn more about PCOS at soulcysters.com and please help us alert other women and unknowledgeable medical professionals by bringing this syndrome to light through the media. We need the members of The View to champion our efforts to alert women throughout America.
You have the power, I have the disease. I welcome your help.
Sincerely,

As you can see, I'm working to get the word out but also not thrilled with her reaction to the mention of PCOS.

Cammie

taah · 07-01-2002, 09:29 PM

Good for you Cammie,

That was a great letter, I wish I would have seen The View on that topic. Keep up the great effort.

beejcee · 07-01-2002, 11:17 PM

hi cammie!

thanks for sharing your letter to star jones on the view. i tape the show so i don't watch it sometimes until weeks later but i had the very same reaction you did when i watched the tape this weekend.

at first i was excited to hear dr. lamm mention PCOS on the view because i think it was the first time i ever heard about it on there. but the reaction of the women hosts quickly turned my excitement to disappointment.

when dr lamm described the symptoms of "our" disease the women on the show literally cringed and raised their eyebrows and made disparaging comments, showing absolutely no sensitivity to those of us who suffer every day with the many and varied symptoms that assault our femininity every single day.

i wonder if they would be so quick to laugh at cancer or parkinson's disease?

funny, i am never laughing when i get up an hour early every single morning of my life to make sure i have removed all of my offensive facial hair before facing the world....at least now i know why i do it!

thanks for inspiring me to also drop miss star jones a line as well!

Torie · 07-03-2002, 03:39 AM

That's sick...I really hope there is some sort of apology said. Because they have never heard of this disease (which I am sure they haven't) they think they can make fun of it, but your right, if it were cancer, Lupus, MS, or something, it would have gotten NOTHING but sympathy. People really need to get educated and think before they speak! UGH.

taah · 07-03-2002, 04:12 AM

From what you ladies are saying they said about it all... I really wish I would have seen it now... is there a website I can go to , and maybe purchase a tape of the show...

Cammie16 · 07-17-2002, 12:50 PM

Ladies,

Let's make this a bit of a quest to get the attention of a television talk show that is hosted by 5 ladies....I'd love to see all of them wearing our speak-out pin.

Please feel free to email any or all of them to send us a copy of the transcript (which we could post) or to put that clip on the web.

You can reach the co-hosts of the view by going to:
http://abc.abcnews.go.com/theview/main.html

I'll also post a message in the General forum concerning this.

Let's inform the heck out of people who could champion our cause!

Cammie

lruffo · 07-22-2002, 05:54 PM

Thank you for putting the short cut to The View's e-mail. I just finished sending Star a short sweet note. I quickly let her know how important it is to our children and other undiagnosed women to be aware of PCOS and it's effects.

Thanks Again!

Skywaitress94 · 08-04-2002, 02:05 AM

Here is my email to Barbara Walters.

Barbara,

It has come to my attention that your show recently hosted a Dr. Lamm who discussed Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome with all of you lovely ladies. Fortunatly, thanks to the Soulcysters website I was also made aware that your reactions were not what you might expect say if we were talking about more common diseases such as Parkinsons or Cancer. Now I will not judge your actions as I did not see the show but I will say this:

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome is very serious. It affects a vast population of woman and can make life very uncomfortable and at times difficult to handle. In addition to the hormal nightmare that many women with this condition suffer we also suffer from from in-fertility. Two weeks ago I lost my baby due to an ectopic pregnancy. You see Barbara, he may be the only baby I would have ever had as I lost my other tube due to hormone related damage some years ago. I loved my child deaply and I will never forget him. I was ten weeks pregnant when I lost my child and it was the best ten weeks of my life. I would hope that in the name of all the children lost to women with PCOS that the ladies of The View would find it in their hearts to learn more on the subject and possibly provide another opportunity to bring this issue to the forfront. I would love to see a show illustrating all ranges of the disease including hormal issues, Diabetes, In-fertility to excess weight and obesity. I hope that you will give this subject another visit and remember all that women with PCOS lose and the battle we fight for on a daily basis.

I sat in the first row directly in front of Meredith on your opening day last September, 2001 and I admired each and every one of you. I hope you will continue to earn the respect of all the women out there.

Sincerely Yours,

Lisa Bookout
Las Vegas, Nevada
Formerly of New York, New York

Tange · 08-04-2002, 01:23 PM

Ladies, I tired my hardest several times to write to Barbara expressing my feeling on the topic but unfortunatly it did not take. I am although truely upset about the whole thing because I know I am not perfect but I AM NOrmal and A Womann. Please keep posrting and e-mailing keeping us updated about the topic. If by chance you happent o find the tape email me atshummel@ivillage.com because I would love to see it.

mconl606 · 08-07-2002, 12:30 AM

I was totally appalled when I heard about this. How can four women that are suppose to care about what women go through be so insensitive. I also took the liberty of emailing Star Jones. I told her how disgusted I was hearing about this. I have lost 4 babies myself and have almost every symptom that goes along with this disease. I take it personal when someone incriminates women like this, because I know they are talking about me. When I submitted my email to her, it said she checks her email everyday and for me not to be surprised if I receive a reply. I would love to hear an apology from her or at least hear that she is doing something to get our information out. Thanks for this post. I was just wondering if any of you did receive emails back from her. If so, I would love to hear what she had to say.

scooby1507 · 08-07-2002, 03:16 PM

Hi Ladies!!

Just wondering if anyone had received replys to your emails that were sent to The View. I would be very interested in hearing what they had to say in reaction to feelings of that particular show.

I went back into the archives of the show and for June 25, 2002, the archive doesn't even mention Dr. Lamm saying anything about PCOS. Is this the right date? It's quite interesting that it was mentioned on the show, with those reactions you've told us about and it's not even mentioned in the archives! I myself did not see the show, although now I would like to get a copy and see it. Someone mentioned getting the transcript and posting it on SC, I think that would be a great idea.

Take Care!!

rusoman37 · 06-17-2004, 05:30 PM

Many of you will laugh, but i was going through all of the posts that i have subscribed to over the years to "unsubscribe" and clean everything out - and I came across this one. Has there been any updated reports on The View? Has anyone received an email or regular mail from any of The View women?

Athena Silverwolf · 07-26-2004, 01:05 AM

I'm a little late in replying but I think if Star Jones had to wake up every morning and deal with facial hair, she'd change her tune. Point is, a lot of women don't care until it involves them. PCOS isn't some form of cancer where they'll remove a breast or your uterus or you'll die. it isn't glamorous or buzz worthy. what it is, is a painful disease that needs to be recognized. Women, particularly young women, need to be educated about this.

I have had to shave everyday, like a man since age 13 because no one seemed to care what was happening to me and now that I know what it is and now that I know, it did not have to be like this, that with treatment I could have done without years of shame and embarrasment, I'm mad as Hell. when did our health become such a casual affair?? My mother died of uterine cancer after her doctor told her she was having old age aches and pains.

maybe we should try Oprah, she seems to be a bit more compassionate than the bobble heads on the View.