Resources

The act of bearing witness

There is one act that almost anyone can do to help those with ME/CFS: bear witness. To read what I have written about the illness as well as the work of others with this severe illness and related ones. Both scientific and experiential accounts.

Bearing witness might not seem like much, but it is important because almost nobody does. There’s such a huge gap in the societal understanding of these illnesses. Most of the people with these illnesses, especially the severe forms, are rendered invisible, spectral.

At this point in time when I am at my lowest, I am asking for help with fundraising, labor, and caregiving. But I am also asking for those who can’t do those things, to simply start bearing witness. To please read, listen to, and watch material from and about those with this terrible disease.

Below are some resources to get started.

Documentaries:

Books:

  • Through the Shadowlands by Julie Rehmeyer 
  • The Puzzle Solver by Tracie White and Ronald Davis
  • Osler’s Web by Hillary Johnson (bias against environmental clues but a good history)
  • Back from the Edge by Lisa Petrison
  • Erik on Avoidance by Erik Johnson
  • Mold Warriors and Surviving Mold by Ritchie Shoemaker
  • Bitten by Kris Newby
  • The Deep Places by Ross Douthat

Articles/Blogs:

From Walker:

Informational Youtube videos on ME/CFS: