Message From NOSSA Chairman

Members of NOSSA,

I want to thank you for your support of NOSSA in 2007. Your support is very much appreciated. I am also contacting you today to ask you if you would please consider supporting us with a voting membership in our group in 2008. I want to tell you more about what NOSSA is doing to support short statured people and also how much your voting membership helps.

NOSSA is a united organization of short men and women from around the globe, promoting the message of self-empowerment for all of its members, providing a supportive environment in which to share experiences, and committed to opposing heightism in society.

You might be asking yourself, well what exactly does that mean or in what ways does NOSSA do all of this? Well allow me to elaborate further:

There are many people in the world who struggle with issues related to their height. Some experience height discrimination at work, school, or when it comes to finding love. Some face psychological and/or physical bullying. Others have even considered suicide. Sometimes it’s just a matter of feeling a bit inadequate, or for others it could involve a profound feeling of shame. As a short statured man or woman you know exactly what’s it’s been like for you to live as an adult of below average height. Whether your experiences have been extremely tough or not so bad, you still have something to give and receive with a membership in NOSSA. At NOSSA we are all about supporting each other. If you are having a rough time, we are here to listen and support you. If you feel you have overcome certain obstacles in life, why not give something back by sharing your insights with people who are dealing with similar struggles? We are creating a community of people who truly understand and are going to listen and support you without any fear of being judged or dismissed.

At NOSSA, you set your own level of involvement. You can be very active and attend organization meetings and events, or you can simply communicate through the internet on our message forums or through e-mail. Either way you are sure to make some lasting friendships with people who share something in common with you. It’s comforting to know that you can always pick up the phone and call the group or a member when you really need someone to talk to that understands.

By now, I’m sure you know what heightism is. It’s an awful prejudice that many people simply don’t understand or even care to understand. We want to change that. We want people to understand exactly what heightism is so they can begin to re-evaluate their own beliefs about short stature. Is it really so horrible to be short? Well, yeah it can be, but it has very little to do with actually being short and mostly to do with how most of society perceives short stature and also how we might perceive it. See it’s all a matter of perception and perceptions can change. So maybe what short statured people really need is a good PR campaign? Well, that’s part of what we hope to accomplish. Let’s join together to spread the message that there is absolutely nothing wrong with being short.

At NOSSA we are disseminating knowledge about short stature to the public and encouraging more responsible research about short stature. We also promote the acceptance of short stature in everything that we do. We are committed to assisting children and young adults who are struggling with heightism. We are also monitoring the media to address negative messages that are carelessly being perpetuated about short statured people. What happens when people face height discrimination at work or are scammed by some bogus growth enhancement product? NOSSA is able to help our members with these types of problems.

Most alarming to us is the increase in the use of “cosmetic” human growth hormone injections in short but otherwise healthy kids and in an increase in painful leg lengthening procedures. It’s amazing what people are willing to do to gain a few extra inches in height. Would it upset or surprise you to learn that the United States Government approves of this? See, these kids don’t need any extra growth hormone. There bodies are healthy and make all the hGH they need. But the kids are given these injections so they can grow taller, so they can someday grow to “normal” height. The risks include the possibility of certain cancers developing, hypertension, spontaneous bone fractures, headaches, fevers, stomach problems, vomiting, impaired glucose tolerance, and kidney damage. Do you agree that there is something wrong with a society that prefers hGH body modification to the full acceptance of short stature?

If you do, we need you to join us and support what it is we are doing. For a mere $35.00 (USD) your membership helps support our activities as mentioned above. Together as a group, we will unite to address problems like these and to support one another in a way unlike anything you have ever experienced before. But the group cannot do this without you. The success of NOSSA depends on you and whether you are willing to step up to the plate and tackle the issue of heightism with us.

Please don’t put it off until later. Join NOSSA Today!

Respectfully,

Matthew Campisi
Chairman/President
NOSSA