Thanks for your support! (Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)
End of the year donation drives are always anxiety producing. For one, they can account for a rather jaw dropping 40-50% of Health Rising’s yearly income. It’s a great relief, then, to be able to report that our 2020 BIG (little) donation drive was successful. Wee did not meet our “go-for” target but we certainly made our goal.
The total is not complete, but as of now – thanks to over 450 donors – we brought in about $44,000 dollars. With 60 more donors than last year, we just blasted through our prior donor record. That was great to see.
Overall, despite the pandemic, Health Rising had a good year financially and I think we’re in good shape heading into 2021.
That’s good news as we hope to finally get several projects out including the Lives Interrupted/Big Map project within the next couple of weeks – and another (secret) project which will likely require substantial resources. Plus, we have a website redesign we hope to carry out.
This year is starting with many questions. How will the NIH disburse the billion dollars plus in funding for long term COVID studies? Will it expedite the funding showing or will it show up sometime in fall (after the pandemic has ceased). How big of a role will ME/CFS/FM researchers play and how will they benefit?
How does ME/CFS’s sister disease – fibromyalgia – fit into all of this? (It must in some way). How about post-Lyme disease? Will the COVID research help us learn about how autoimmune diseases get started?
When will ME/CFS/FM researchers be able to fully pick up their studies and trials again? What has the pandemic cost them? What has it cost our ME/CFS/FM experts? Will the pandemic be a turning point for Ampligen? What about HR 7057? It seemed like we were just on the cusp of passing that historic legislation. What will happen with that?
Health Rising is going to be a bit quiet for a little while as I catch up on things and get ready for the new year.
Thanks again to everyone who made Health Rising’s BIG (Little) year end drive successful and supported us throughout this tumultuous year.
Stay safe!
Yours truly,
Cort
Thank you Cort,
Have a very well-deserved rest!
Hopefully the DecodeME research about to start in the UK will begin to provide some answers in ME/CFS, FM and Long- Covid too.
Yes, indeed. Great to see DecodeME get going – another step forward in understanding ME/CFS.
Thanks and congratulations for all what you do for us.
Claude from quebec, Canada
Thanks Claude!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, Cort, for all you do for all of us!
Thanks Jeanie – and thanks for all your support over the years. 🙂
This year, expect another sort of contribution to come to you from Issie and me Cort. I think you’ll like it ;-). I’ve been investing in tools to be more productive at writing.
And of course, thanks for all the hard and much needed work! You do a great job in very difficult circumstances. It is much appreciated!
Thanks Cort, you and I go back to before the beginning of this blog site and we have both learned and been through a lot.
You have been a friend in times of need to me and I appreciate you as a person and a friend and for the work you do.
It takes a strong will to keep going and pressing forward when year after year the gains have been few. But we are now having more discoveries and finding some “purple bandaids?”.
Hopefully this year will be a nice turning point for many of us and quality of life will be improved. Keep pressing forward, one day at a time, and find at least an hour of joy every day. ?
Issie
Thanks – and thanks so much for gracing us with all your creative thought and interesting ideas :). Good luck with the writing tools .
I applaud your resting! Happy 2021. And, thank you, Cort, for all you do to keep us informed.
Thanks….Trying to find a better balance…
Thank you so much Cort for all your hard work. I have signed up for the DecodeME study in the U.K. Hopefully there will be a light at the end of the tunnel before too much longer with more funding coming through and maybe something coming out of the long Covid studies to help with ME/CFS. Look forward to your future blogs. Stay safe.
One of my major goals over the next 4/5 months is to get through the pandemic without catching COVID. To that end I wear two masks when I got out and at the urging of my partner am actually wearing a face shield. So far I’ve been the only one in the stores but what the heck…I don’t want to get this virus.
I think doing whatever it takes to try and avoid catching Covid is just sensible. Poorly ventilated stores/buildings/enclosed spaces are also worth avoiding too. There’s an entertaining woman, who has been interviewed on the radio – I think she’s an expert in infectious diseases or something similar – and if she gets onto public transport, she immediately opens the windows irrespective of the weather.
You can better wear a (medical) mask of FFP2 quality.
Bless you Cort! Thank you so much for all the work you do. Health rising is the best website for getting information about ME, it gives me hope and helps me feel connected to other people with ME. That’s priceless!
Very glad to hear that you feel more connected. That is a big deal.
Thanks so much for creating and maintaining a community space, Cort, where I can wander into and catch up on the latest news and exchange views with others, in an unpressurized and safe way. There is a respect for boundaries and differing opinions, which I find reassuring and refreshing. I am currently undergoing some sort of personal regeneration/refit – I’m not sure exactly what I will emerge as – but I’m going to attempt to be as honest in myself, as is relevant! Having lived for so long in some kind of negative vacuum – I’m going to try and take up my own space, without apology or anger 🙂
(Also did anyone else see that #MEAction are having a live reading and discussion with Ron Davis PhD and Janet Dafoe on the book “The Puzzle Solver: A Scientist’s Desperate Quest to Cure the Illness that Stole is son” by Tracie White? It’s this Friday Jan 8th apparently, on Facebook at 1pm PT, 4pm ET and 9pm GMT.)
Anyway, I do think 2021 will have some interesting developments and hopefully Covid-19’s grip on our lives will lessen. I enjoy everyone’s company and wish warmth and love to all…
I really appreciate your thoughtful and honest reflections Tracey Anne. I hope your healing journey continues to go well in 2021, and I wish the same for all of the interesting people who contribute to this site.
Thank you so much debsw. I was thinking of you recently because I watched a film on Max Richter and his Sleep concerts. So interesting – he went to different cities around the world and played, with his orchestra, a specially written concert that lasted 8hrs – overnight – to an ‘audience’ who each had a camp bed and who could sleep if they wanted, whilst being played to. For me, it conjured up the feeling of being minded – someone to watch over me. I send you and everyone else my very best wishes 🙂
I have really appreciated your honest reflections – is a good word – as well. Good luck on your healing journey and I look forward to hearing more about it.
Thanks for the mentioning the ME Action talk with Ron and Janet. I was not aware of that.
Cort ,
Thank you so much once again for all your wonderful work , so much appreciated .
Have a relaxing break ( if possible ! ) and keep wearing those two masks ( we do ) , plus face shield . One cannot be too careful ,
All the best to everyone from La Rochelle in France !
Thanks Carolyn! Will do.
Hi Cort, I wanted to add my name to the list of how appreciative I am for all that you do! Have a long, sweet rest and please stay safe. You are the backbone of hope!
Now, a little tidbit of extra ad hoc Covid protection from me; I had the idea of putting a dab of Silver Sulfadiazine Cream (sorry Rx only) in each nostril before I don my mask. The Cream is prescribed for burn patients because it is effective against bacteria and viruses. I theorized that the Cream clinging to nose hairs, would provide yet another layer of protection. Some health care providers laughed at me but then I read an article that mink farmers (because the minks can catch Covid too) are applying an ointment to their animals nostrils to protect against Covid! It’s not the same stuff, but it supports my theory.
I want to see you and yours safe! Looking forward to the New Year, and the New Site, and hopefully a calmer world.
While HR quiet, i saw this on covid effects on mitochondria:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/covid-19-news-sars-cov-2-coronavirus-attacks-mitochondria,-the-power-house-of-cells-in-human-host-constant-fatigue-could-result-from-this
… and this is old, but new to me:
(ampligen available to long-covid)
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/finance.yahoo.com/amphtml/news/aim-immunotech-announces-availability-cfs-125200054.html
… and our own Cort with the first (autumn 2020)
in a series of articles:
“Postcards from Nevada”
https://issuu.com/meruk/docs/breakthrough_20autumn_202020?ff
in free online “Breakthrough magazine from ME REASEARCH UK
https://www.meresearch.org.uk/research/breakthrough-magazine/
Thanks sunie – so much going on! I’m trying to reassure my brain that we can manage – I’m just not very good at prioritising anymore!
Could I please have your address, again, so that I may make a donation.
Thank you Cort.
Thanks David!
Cort Johnson
2555 Hampton Rd Unit 6308
Henderson, NV 89052