By Erica Verrillo
Erica Verrillo is President of the American ME and CFS Society (AMMES)
When I was a child, my mother taught me the three basics of human survival: Food, clothing, and shelter. These, she said, are essential for our existence. At the time, I understood food to be essential, and possibly shelter, but I did not see the necessity for clothing. (I do now.)
Getting medical help is a priority for people who are ill. This makes perfect sense in the context of a debilitating disease like myalgic encephalomyelitis, aka chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Everyone with a chronic illness wants to recover. But people who are so impoverished that they can’t afford food, clothing, and shelter face a struggle for survival on a daily basis. That struggle can overshadow all others – including the search for physicians and treatments – while patients scramble for their basic needs. The effort to stay alive is all-encompassing.
How will these patients get food to eat, pay their rent, and buy such bare essentials as shoes?
Who will help them when their options run out?
Continue reading “FOOD, CLOTHING, AND SHELTER: DELIVERING THE BASICS TO PEOPLE WITH ME/CFS”