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MAY IS ME/CFS INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS MONTH... COMING SOON: A Book by Valerie Free. This two-page flyer describes Lighting up a Hidden World: CFS and ME, a book by Valerie Free. It explores the decades-long plight of the millions worldwide who are suffering from ME and CFS, what it is, what it does, and the lack of funding and medical support which is leaving people without care, cure and prevention.
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Lighting Up a Hidden World CFS and ME
Theonsetcanbefastandshockingorslowandinsidious.Itcanhappentoanyoneatanyage.Aflu,avaccination,oraninfectioncanbetheinnocentbeginningstothepotentiallylife-longanddisablingillnesscalledmyalgicencephalomyelitis(ME),whichismorecommonlyknownaschronicfatiguesyndrome(CFS),orME/CFSinNorthAmerica.
Inthemid1980s,theU.S.CentersforDiseaseControl(CDC)wascalledinbyconcerneddoctorswhowerewitnessinganinfluxofpatientswithamysteriousillness.EventuallytheCDClabeledthecondition“chronicfatiguesyndrome”whichturnedouttobeverymisleading.Decadeslater,in2016,healthagenciesarefinallybeginningtoagreewithinternationalexpertsthatME/CFSisaserious,chronic,multi-systemillness.
Throughartwork,poetry,story-telling,andmeticulousresearch,LightingUpaHiddenWorld:CFSandMEtakesreadersintothefascinating,yetfrightening,landscapeofME/CFS.AuthorValerieFreesharesherpersonalexperiencesanddeliversilluminatingfirst-handperspectivesfrompatients,caregivers,journalists,andmedicalprofessionalsfromwithintheglobalcommunityinshorteasy-to-readsegments.Thesestoriesrevealthedisgrace,controversyandtragedyofworldwideneglectbypoliticalandhealthcaresystems,leavingME/CFSresearchunderfundedandmillionsofpeoplemarginalized,sick,andsociallyunsupported.
LightingUpaHiddenWorld:CFSandMEadvocatesforthosetooilltospeakout,aboundswithpatientresources,andoffersrealistichopeforthefuture.Peoplelivingwiththisillness,alongwiththeirfamilyandfriends,willfindcompassionandcamaraderieinitspages.ThisbookreachesbeyondtheME/CFScommunityexposingthethemesofhumansuffering,resilience,andtheneedforsocialchange.
MAY 12 IS INTERNATIONAL AWARENESS DAY
COMING SOON…
A Book by Valerie Free
As more information becomes available about the book, including the release date, it will be posted at:
www.valeriefree.org
“Ms. Free's goal in writing this book was to help the general public understand what it is like to deal with ME/CFS, a severe, common and often-overlooked chronic condition. She accomplishes her goal by sharing her personal journey in Section 1 and featuring vignettes from members of the ME/CFS community in Section 2. The book blends science, information, caring, wisdom and humour. As a fellow Canadian, I am very proud of Ms. Free's contribution to lighting up this hidden world. Everyone will find insight into ME/CFS through the tapestry of stories found in this important and informative book.”
~ MARGARET PARLOR, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ME/FM ACTION NETWORK (CANADA)
"There is truth in this inspiring book, which shares the heroic stories of individuals with ME/CFS who have battled stigma, discrimination and persecution in their search for appropriate care. This moving account of what Valerie and others have done is a must read and ultimately provides hope for us all that the status quo can be transformed through social action."
~LEONARD A. JASON, Ph.D. AUTHOR OF “PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL CHANGE,” OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS (2013)
About the Author In 1990, Valerie Freewas a happy, vibrant thirty-year-oldwoman– acourt stenographer, a lovingwife, and themother of a precious babygirl. In Julyof thatyear, shecamedownwitha sudden, flu-like illnessandaftermonthsofunrelentingandbizarresymptomswasdiagnosedwithchronicfatiguesyndrome(CFS),latertobeunderstoodasmyalgicencephalomyelitis (ME) or ME/CFS. Valerie had entered a world thatshe could never have imagined, a world she still lives in to this day.Despite thechallengesposedbyherhealth, shewenton tosearch foranswers. Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME is the result,involving decades of research and outreach to the chronic illness
community.Hernaturalcuriosity,herloveofpeople,aswellaswords,haveallowedhertowritethisin-depthinvestigationintothismysteriousillness.ValerieresidesonanacreagewithherfamilyinAlberta,Canada.