Lives Interrupted: the Hidden Costs of Having a Neglected Illness

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Lives Interrupted seeks to illuminate the economic and other costs of having diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), fibromyalgia, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), post-treatment Lyme disease, and long COVID. These diseases affect millions, typically receive little research funding, and, as a consequence have few good treatments available. Find out more about Lives Interrupted here.

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Health Rising’s Quickie Summer Donation Drive is On!

Keeping up with the latest research in ME/CFS, long COVID, fibromyalgia, and allied diseases. Exploring new treatment possibilities. Learning how others have recovered. All in as thoroughly and comprehensively as we can.

Please support Health Rising during our quickie summer donation drive. Our goal is to raise $15,000.

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Homebound – See ABC 's story here

My Journey and ME – See Don's story here

Entire Adulthood taken from me – See Megan's story here

My Labyrinthine Journey with a Covid Coda – See Rondo 's story here

Knocked Out Of The Job Of a Lifetime – See Bob Graybosch's story here

Structural Failure – See Allyn Archer's story here

Full recovery in 2020 – See Ani W's story here

My non-miraculous, extremely slow, non-recovered, successful life, so far – See JudyH's story here

My cost of living crisis – See Georgie Coghlan's story here

Beyond the Birdcage: Inconvenient Truths About Myalgic Encephalomyelitis – See Jennifer McBryde's story here

How Swine Flu Changed My Life Forever – See Corey's story here

A career just starting cut short. – See Ani's story here

Adverse Reaction to a Flu Vaccination – See Azalea's story here

Post vaccination – See Kitty's story here

Nursing Myself – See Alison Wiltbank's story here

Lost in Time – See Bryan's story here

Searching for answers/Learning acceptance – See Leslie Fellows's story here

M.E STOPPED MY LIFE – See Mary's story here

Everything is Gone – See Lavenderblue 's story here

A Broken Journey – See T-Rev 's story here

Debilitated – See MD's story here

30 of 33 years gone – See Duckcove's story here

Patte’s Lyme Journey – See Patte Wood's story here

Living life on a 2 inch bungee cord – See Diane's story here

I’m still standing! (ack to Elton John) – See Drdragonmama's story here

Still Fighting… – See Steph's story here

Post Covid evolved into Post Viral Syndrome and Fibromyalgia – See Henchman D's story here

Bowed but not broken – See Ann's story here

Wobbly legs and ME – See Anna Marie's story here

Not the life I expected – See Stéphanie's story here

Nobody is Listening – See Dea's story here

Some recovery and a lot of determination – See Ishtar's story here

This disease has taken 32 yrs. of my life – See Brie's story here

Never Better – See LauraB's story here

My adult life should have been just beginning. Instead it was forever stolen from me. – See Jo-Anne's story here

Career, family, fortune, friendships, reputation wrecked at 34y – See Remembrance's story here

Fibromyalgia For 2/3 of My Life – See Emily's story here

Losing a life of science. – See Christyne Bliton's story here

A full and promising life redefined by chronic illness – See Drew's story here

CFIDS & My Disability – See Dave's story here

Physical therapist assistant with Non-rehabable illness – See Anna's story here

Loooong Covid – See Elizabeth's story here

From caregiver to patient – See Lynn R's story here

Once on track to becoming CEO – See Amy S.'s story here

Cancer and ME – See Suzie B's story here

Lyme+ to ME – See Mima 's story here

A long slog – See Cparks's story here

Long ago in a distant place… – See Cort's story here

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Searching for answers/Learning acceptance

Name: Leslie Fellows	Years Ill: 9
Location: Santa Cruz, United States
Former Occupation: Winery owner/export director
Current Occupation: Very part-time desk work for our family winery
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 60
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $161,978
Story: I started getting sick 10 years ago. Before that I was an active and energetic person attending a…

See Leslie Fellows‘s story and her most impactful loss

M.E STOPPED MY LIFE

Name: Mary	Years Ill: 2
Location: Abingdon, England, UK
Former Occupation: Professional Dog Trainer
Former Activity Level (0-100): 80	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: £27,864
Story: At the age of 6 I got shingles, then throughout my childhood I had repeated bouts of Tonsillitis,…

See Mary‘s story and her most impactful loss

Everything is Gone

Name: Lavenderblue	Years Ill: 3
Location: Little Rock, United States
Former Occupation: Registered Nurse
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $305,609
Story: At first I thought it was just taking a long time to recover. I took it easy for a bit. It never …

See Lavenderblue ‘s story and her most impactful loss

A Broken Journey

Name: T-Rev	Years Ill: 8
Location: Bath, England, UK
Former Occupation: Christian Minister, Charities Director
Current Occupation: Christian Minister, Charity Director
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 40
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: £155,054
Story: I was living my best life, a high output, high energy, do-gooder. Able to travel and work in some…

See T-Rev ‘s story and his most impactful loss

Debilitated

Name: MD	Years Ill: 6
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Former Occupation: Family Physician
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: CA $1,542,301
Story: Got a severe nasopharyngeal MRSA infection from work in 2017 which went misdiagnosed and untreate…

See MD‘s story and her most impactful loss

30 of 33 years gone

Name: Duckcove	Years Ill: 33
Location: North Kingstown, United States
Former Occupation: part time sailmaker, full time mom
Current Occupation: owner, part time custom marine canvas design
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 30

Story: At 5'2" I was a happy dynamo of energy. From healthy to bedridden with many haywire body sy…

See Duckcove‘s story and her most impactful loss

Patte’s Lyme Journey

Name: Patte Wood	Years Ill: 31
Location: Lexington, United States
Former Occupation: Administrative Director, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, Stanford University
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 60
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $879,056

See Patte Wood‘s story and her most impactful loss

Living life on a 2 inch bungee cord

Name: Diane	Years Ill: 32
Location: Waltham, United States
Former Occupation: Software Project Manager/Internationalization Specialist
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $3,009,929