On October 17 of this year the Alzheimer’s Stamp will become a reality. People all over the United States will be able to purchase these 42-cent stamps supporting Alzheimer’s awareness and demonstrating their commitment and the need to find a cure for this horrific, growing disease.
The stamp is the brainchild of Kathy Siggins, a shy, former postal worker, who cared for her husband, Gene, with Alzheimer’s disease for 13 years. “I was the one that never raised my hand in school – I was afraid they’d call on me,” she told David Snyder of the Washington Post. “[But] what we need is an Alzheimer’s Stamp,” said Siggins.
Her story begins in September, 1999, when she wrote her first letter requesting either an Alzheimer’s awareness stamp or a fund-raising Semi-postal stamp. These were the first of many steps that lead to the successful publication of a U.S. postal stamp that will now benefit millions of people, worldwide, suffering from this disease – perhaps even lead to a cure.
On July 21, 2000, The Frederick Post newspaper (Frederick, MD) caught wind of Siggins’ efforts and ran an article. Within a week, working with Ageless Design, a company also dedicated to the Alzheimer’s cause, Kathy had a website collecting signatures petitioning for the stamp. Soon the signatures approached 1,000.
In August, 2000, Siggins wrote to Dr. Virginia Noelke of the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee of the U.S. Postal Committee: “I recently had the pleasure of hearing a very short part of the C-span program that you and Mr. Tolbert took part in on Friday, July 7th. It provided inspiration and hope for what I, and many others, feel is a very worthwhile cause. I would like to propose to the committee that a commemorative stamp be issued to promote awareness and help raise funds for Alzheimer’s disease research.”
She went on to say: “The Semi-postal Authorization Act Bill H.R. 4437 that passed both the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Clinton on July 28th giving the U.S. Postal Service full authority to issue Semi-postal stamps for research was very exciting news. I sincerely hope that you and the Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee recommend Alzheimer’s disease as the next commemorative stamp recipient of funds for research and awareness.”
Simultaneously her call went out, published in The Alzheimer’s Daily News and other news publications throughout the U.S., it read in part:
“An Alzheimer’s Stamp – Kathy Siggins and Ageless Design are petitioning the U.S. Postal Service to issue an Alzheimer’s Stamp to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s disease. We want 10,000 signatures on this petition by July, 2001.”
Siggins wrote in an email: “The proposal for an Alzheimer’s Semi-postal stamp was submitted to the U.S. Postal Service Headquarters in Washington, DC, on August 30, 2001. Attached to the proposal was a petition containing 12,000 signatures of victims, caregivers, families and friends supporting the proposal.”
“In an effort to seek additional support, copies of the proposal were also delivered to Representatives Edward J. Markey and Christopher H. Smith, who co-chair the Bipartisan Congressional Task force on Alzheimer’s disease. I was extremely pleased when I was presented a letter signed by sixteen members of the Task Force supporting the proposal which had also been forward to the Postal Service. I also learned that Senator Barbara A. Mikulski sent a letter of support as well.”
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, put a damper on Siggins’ campaign, delaying the possibility of the stamp from 2006 to now 2008. Siggins figured that more signatures was what it would take to get the Postal Service’s attention. She hoped that maybe 50,000 would do the trick.
Eventually her relentless efforts began to pay off, presenting a total of 84,000 signatures petitioning the U.S. Postal Service to support this very worthwhile cause. (To read more go to washingtonpost.com).
Kathy Siggins is testimony to the power of one person speaking out – one seemingly small voice versus a worldwide epidemic that threatens millions. Through her dedication and perseverance, we now have an Alzheimer’s Stamp. There are not many people like Kathy Siggins – a modern day hero, who deserves full credit for making The Alzheimer’s Stamp a reality.
Today there are an estimated 5.5 million people in the U.S. with Alzheimer’s disease. In the absence of a cure or vaccine, this number is expected to quadruple by the year 2050.
The 42-cent Alzheimer’s Awareness Stamp will be available at Post Offices nationwide beginning October 18, 2008. To see a copy of The Alzheimer’s Stamp go to usps.com
