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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This disease has taken 32 yrs. of my life

Name: Brie	Years Ill: 32
Location: Bend, United States
Former Occupation: Counselor
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 40
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $2,051,715
Story: I was a Nationally awarded swimmer, First chair musician, and worked hard in academics and my car…

See Brie‘s story and her most impactful loss

Never Better

Name: LauraB	Years Ill: 6
Location: Rock Stream, United States
Former Occupation: RN
Current Occupation: RN
Former Activity Level (0-100): 90	Current Activity Level (0-100): 40

Story: On the way home from work, I saw a cat hit by a car on a busy roadway. I pulled over, ran out li…

See LauraB‘s story and her most impactful loss

My adult life should have been just beginning. Instead it was forever stolen from me.

Name: Jo-Anne	Years Ill: 28
Location: Maidstone, England, UK
Former Occupation: Registered General Nurse
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 40
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: £199,564

See Jo-Anne‘s story and her most impactful loss

Career, family, fortune, friendships, reputation wrecked at 34y

Name: Remembrance	Years Ill: 33
Location: Manchester, England, UK
Former Occupation: Research Scientist
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20

See Remembrance‘s story and her most impactful loss

Fibromyalgia For 2/3 of My Life

Name: Emily	Years Ill: 21
Location: Willingboro, United States
Former Occupation: None (was 15)
Current Occupation: Medical writer
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 60
Story: I was always sick as a child with different kinds of infections (respiratory infections started a…

See Emily‘s story and her most impactful loss

Losing a life of science.

Name: Christyne Bliton	Years Ill: 17
Location: East Lansing, United States
Former Occupation: Bioengineer
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $1,631,171
Story: I was managing a national bioinformatics project at University of Michigan when I got sick with a…

See Christyne Bliton‘s story and her most impactful loss

A full and promising life redefined by chronic illness

Name: Drew	Years Ill: 5
Location: Los Angeles, United States
Former Occupation: team director at early stage tech startup
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 40
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $161,181
Story: I was working to get some diagnosed digestive issues under control (SIBO- symptoms were nausea, c…

See Drew‘s story and his most impactful loss

CFIDS & My Disability

Name: Dave	Years Ill: 25
Location: Milan, United States
Former Occupation: Teacher
Former Activity Level (0-100): 100	Current Activity Level (0-100): 20
Total Projected Economic Losses For Years Not Worked: $660,040
Story: By the way, currently, I am 1/2 the man I used to be -- 260lbs when I got sick, and now down to 1…