The comment I’d like to highlight this week was left on Jen Brea’s TED Talk by Serena Morriss, who is currently suffering with ME. Although many community members have shared their personal experiences with the condition, Serena also asks those of us who are physically well to do more than listen. For anyone moved by the Jennifer’s struggle, and the struggle of so many others, Serena directs our desire to help towards actionable steps: “use your voices on our behalf, to raise awareness, but also put pressure on governments and health organizations.” She calls on those who can, “to fight for us, to get behind scientific research, to lobby governments to put money into proper scientific research and…to stand up for us, to fight the prejudice discrimination that we face by being wrongly labelled.” I hope that Jennifer’s talk, as well as Serena’s comment and the comments of other community members, helps us all to make changes that will help those living with ME/CFS to feel even a little less forgotten. We, the physically well, can’t ignore the lived experiences of Serena and Jennifer, and so many others.
