The Arthritis Foundation has launched its first nationwide PSA campaign to raise awareness of the nation's number one cause of disability. "Letters from 43 Million Americans" is designed “not only to
awaken Americans to the fact that arthritis is an escalating public health epidemic, but also to promote the many resources available to help those who suffer take better control of their disease.”
The campaign depicts a variety of people with arthritis and dispels the myths that arthritis is not serious and only affects the elderly. The television, radio, print and outdoor/billboard PSAs all
portray the "voice" of a real person with arthritis. Print PSAs feature hand-written letters from people, such as Bob Smith from Michigan, who had to give up his job because arthritis made it too
painful to work with his hands. The radio and television PSAs feature the story of Amanda Fleckenstein, a 10-year-old Californian with juvenile arthritis, who cannot participate in everyday childhood
activities such as playing sports, riding bikes or writing.
