by Jody Smith The ME/CFS community is all too familiar with the realities of invisible disabilities. As a matter of fact we are rife with them. For this reason, we’re happy to make some noise for Invisible Disabilities Week. If you have an invisible disability, you’re living with one or more physical, mental or neurological challenges that other people might
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August 8th, 2019: Understanding and Remembrance Day for Severe ME
August 8th, 2019: Understanding and Remembrance Day for Severe ME by Jody Smith We in the ME/CFS community mark August 8th, 2019, on our calendars and in our hearts. On Understanding & Remembrance Day for Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, we seek to increase awareness about what our most severely ill endure. And we remember and honour those who have passed
ContinueMay 12, 2019 Is International ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day
by Jody Smith International ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day 2019 has grown from an idea conceived by Thomas Hennessy, Jr. back in 1992. He chose the date of May 12 because it was the birthday of army nurse and Red Cross founder Florence Nightingale, who lived with an unidentified chronic illness for the last 50 years of her life. This
ContinueWhy Is Music So Hard for People With ME/CFS?
by Jody Smith Oh, how I love music! This magic can lift our spirits and calm our weary minds. Maybe it can even help us heal. Goodness knows, we who live with ME/CFS need these things. We’re probably not getting much of this elsewhere. So if music is so good for us, why is it so hard to have it
ContinueME/CFS and the Change of Seasons: How Does This Affect You?
The advent of autumn can hit Jody Smith pretty hard. She’s learned a few ways to lessen the damage every year. How do you handle the change of seasons? Summer is my best season, hands down. Fewer ME/CFS symptoms get in my way. After a while, I tend to forget that this is a summer hiatus … but I am reminded around the
ContinueAugust 8th, 2018: Understanding and Remembrance Day for Severe ME
Have you heard of our Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Day of Understanding and Remembrance? Please join Jody Smith in observing this day and honoring the 25% of those with ME/CFS who are most severely ill. Can you read these words I’ve written on this page? Good. Then you know that I am NOT an example of the extremely ill with ME/CFS.
ContinueInternational ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day Is On May 12, 2018
by Jody Smith Thomas Hennessy, Jr., selected May 12th to be our international awareness day back in 1992. He knew that May 12th had also been the birthday of Florence Nightingale. She was the English army nurse who helped to found the Red Cross as well as the first school of nursing in the world. It is a lesser known
ContinueReview: ‘Through the Shadowlands’ describes Julie Rehmeyer’s ME/CFS Odyssey
I should note at the outset that this review is based on an audio version of the galleys and the epilogue from the finished work. Julie Rehmeyer sent me the final version as a PDF, but for some reason my text to voice software (Kurzweil) had issues with it. I understand that it is only the epilogue that was significantly changed between these
ContinueJulie Rehmeyer’s ‘Through the Shadowlands’
Writer Never Give Up talks about Julie Rehmeyer’s new book “Through the Shadowlands: A Science Writer’s Odyssey into an Illness Science Doesn’t Understand” and shares an interview with Julie … A riveting new book by science journalist, patient and ME/CFS champion, Julie Rehmeyer, has just hit the stands. “Through the Shadowlands: A Science Writer’s Odyssey into an Illness Science Doesn’t
ContinueMay 12, 2017, Is International ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day
International ME/CFS and FM Awareness Day is May 12th, 2017. Jody Smith shares some information about upcoming events and ways you can be heard … Can you believe it’s been 25 years since Thomas Hennessy, Jr., chose May 12th to be our international awareness day? He was influenced by the fact that May 12th was also Florence Nightingale’s birthday. This famous English
ContinuePhoenix Rising: The Gift That Keeps on Giving All Year Long
This holiday season Jody Smith turns her eyes to the people of Phoenix Rising and gives thanks for you all … Phoenix Rising is a community that I will always love. Seven years ago I stumbled upon this place in its early days. I had been isolated and lonely for a number of years because I have ME/CFS, and finding
ContinueInvisible Illness Awareness Week 2016: Our Voices Need to Be Heard
Never heard of Invisible Illness Awareness Week? You’re not alone. Jody Smith sheds a little light to make it more visible … From time immemorial, people have been pushed aside and ignored for one reason or another. Nobody likes feeling invisible. That goes for the kid in the playground who doesn’t get chosen for baseball, for the person overlooked by the boss,
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