Once upon a time, I woke up on fire. This burning was one of invisible flames, curling themselves around me and offering nothing but excruciating pain and the sort of exhaustion which bears down on you like a weight your whole body must carry.
The Time for Unrest event at the Scottish Parliament on 30th January was an opportunity to raise awareness of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) among Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), and ask them to take action to support the 21,000 people with ME in Scotland. Attended by over 70 people, it attracted an unprecedented number of
#BedFest was quite the occasion. People appeared in PJ’s, crumpled t-shirts, crochet vests, keen to address the wider world; people whose voices are seldom heard, called together by #MEAction and its volunteers to share music, art, photography and multifarious creativity and raise ME-Awareness. We didn’t have to leave the house…
Some of you may know Dr. Janet Dafoe and her daughter Ashley Haugen through their tireless advocacy work for ME. Dr. Dafoe’s son and Ashley’s brother, Whitney Dafoe, has severe ME, and is the impetus behind their efforts to raise funding, raise awareness, and raise hell. These statements were read at the Sacramento California rally on June 2, 2017.
“I read an early version of Through the Shadowlands while I was driving around the country, tent in my rental car, terrified that something inexplicable was wrong with me, convinced that I was losing my mind. Julie Rehmeyer’s book showed me that I wasn’t.
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Whether you are a musician, poet or puppeteer, expressing yourself through a body devastated by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is suddenly an impossible feat – and an improbable opportunity. #MEAction is excited to announce the launch of a virtual concert called #Bedfest on May 6th to showcase the experience of living
Recently, #MEAction sat down with Julie Rehmeyer to discuss her new book Through the Shadowlands, her op-ed in the New York Times with David Tuller, and next steps. What made you embark on a project like Through the Shadowlands? I’m a writer, and it was a big experience I was going through, having ME. It
Obviously, I still have not integrated the sick person I am with my self-concept. In my heart, I aspire to be an adventurer. In my brain, I am a popcorn popper of plans and temptations. In reality, I can do one activity and, on a good day, maybe two, but not day-after-day in a row. On a bad day I have to be still. I have to wait for the temporary reprieve that recovery mode will eventually bring.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) have a long, long way to go before they get the attention and resources they deserve. It would take a heroic leap to quickly achieve what people with these diseases deserve and what the diseases themselves – given their economic costs / burdens they impose – should receive. So much needs to be done (funding, doctor education, drugs, other treatments) – and we’re coming from such a low place – that it seems almost impossible that it can be done in a reasonable amount of time. In fact, people do the impossible – make what seems at first to be inconceivable differences in one area or another – all the time. This blog is about a man who did that, and did so in a way that may directly help those with chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and fibromyalgia.
