Your ME/CFS Advocacy Week actions continue to make a difference! Senator Ed Markey, a longtime champion for people with ME/CFS and people with disabilities, introduced S. Res 633, Supporting the Goals of International Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Awareness Day
Thanks to the combined efforts of Solve M.E. and the Massachusetts ME/CFS & FM Association, Senator Ed Markey (MA) has once again taken a stand for ME/CFS research, awareness, and education. Senator Markey has long been a champion of people with ME/CFS, sponsoring a Senate briefing on ME/CFS and leading multiple appropriations requests on behalf of the ME/CFS community.
“ME/CFS has been in the shadows for too long,” said Senator Markey. “Our resolution is just one step to help shine light on this condition and what we can collectively do to help improve the quality of life of those impacted.”
– Senator Ed Markey
This resolution follows Senator Markey’s recent Senate Leadership letter calling on Senate Leadership to prioritize an additional $60 million in post-viral ME/CFS research in any upcoming coronavirus relief package.
Read more about Senator Markey’s letter
Your Advocacy In Action Part 2: $10 million Medical Research Program now Accepting ME/CFS Applications — for the first time ever!
Photo credit: Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, U.S. Department of Defense
Thanks to your hard work and advocacy, the Department of Defense Combat Readiness-Medical Research Program is now accepting research applications to better understand the stressors and environmental impacts of combat that lead to higher rates of chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic multi-system illnesses among veterans.
The FY20 Defense Appropriations Act provides funding to the Department of Defense Combat Readiness – Medical Research Program (CRRP) to support therapeutic research related to forward-deployable solutions that can promptly address medical threats and treatments for Service members in current and future battlefield settings. The Rapid Development and Translational Research Award is now available to applications including the prevention and treatment of ME/CFS.
Read more about the funding opportunity
How does ME/CFS impact combat veterans? A report issued by the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans’ Illnesses states that at least one-fourth of the 697,000 veterans of the Gulf War have experienced ME/CFS and ME/CFS-like symptoms (often called chronic multisystem illness or CMI in military healthcare settings). Smaller studies have confirmed a markedly increased incidence of ME/CFS among deployed versus non-deployed Gulf War veterans.
Read the Research Advisory Committee Report
We Reached Our End of Year Goals. Thank you!
We’re celebrating big victories this quarter! Your advocacy and data investment in promising research and scientific collaborations will make a real difference to millions of people.
Morgan Fairchild, ME/CFS advocate and Research Advisory Council [RAC] member for Solve M.E, shows her appreciation for the continuous fight towards a treatment and cure from ME/CFS.
You + M.E.: A Registry for the Whole ME/CFS Community
After months of collaborative development with community members and researchers, we were so excited to open the You + M.E. Registry for enrollment in June 2020! You + M.E. is driven by a big vision – building a community of thousands contributing health information to create the largest dataset ever for ME/CFS research. Many research projects have come to a stop due to COVID19 stay-at-home orders and lab closures, but You + M.E. is completely online; turning each individual and their data into a research project incubator from the comfort and safety of home.
In this webinar, our Chief Scientific Officer, Dr. Sadie Whittaker, introduces our new CEO, Oved Amitay, to the Registry, and to you, our community. Together, they take a closer look at what the registry has to offer, and how to make the most of your You + M.E. experience!
Watch the webinar here.
