UNREST

Bonjour, 

Recently I watched the film UNREST and found it very moving, even shedding tears at some parts of the film. 

Unrest follows a Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea, as she chronicles her debilitating struggle with myalgic encephalomyelitis (or M.E., more commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), a complex disorder often believed to be imagined in the patient’s head.

You can watch the film here and as from now it's available to watch on YouTube 

I urge you to watch it if possible and share with your family, friends, your doctor and the public. We need to have better understanding of this illness and the impact it has on so many lives around the world. 

I looked up the word 'unrest' and this is the definition I found ' a state of expressing anger and dissatisfaction about something'. 

I believe in the case of ME/CFS it's the dissatisfaction and anger in the way so many people have long been neglected, abandoned, badly treated or mistreated, misunderstood, side lined and forgotten. Enough is enough! 

This film is about Jen Brea's story and touches on that of others.  Yet everyone has  their own story. We all need to rise up and get our story told. 

I often do this through my poems and my blogs. 

There is a limit to how much the film can cover and include but here is a summary of some of the points I noted from the film Unrest 

• the illness is often caused by a virus, though there are many other causes
• diagnosis difficult and can take up to 5 years in some cases
• there is often an acute severe phase
• recovery is poor and unlikely after 5 years
• it's twice as common as Multiple Scelrosis
• there is a variable nature and level of the illness
• it's likely that there are subsets in this illness     
• there are many symptoms that are part of M.E.  
• doctors don't usually study the illness at medical school and there are very few specialists   
• when medicine has no answers what do you do?
• you try all kinds of approach and treatment as we see Jennifer Brea doing so in this film
• there are some controversial treatments like Graded Exercise Therapy where so many have been harmed
• sadly for some suicide is the only option left 
• we can sometimes look and behave normally but people don't see the crash and the post-exertional malaise that frequently occurs 
• spending on research into ME/CFS is very low
• it may be hereditary as it can run in families
• 85% of people with this illness are female 
• this statistic has contributed to the idea that it's all hysteria
• all too often sufferers are told that it's all in their mind and treated as a psychiatric condition 
• this illness has been around for a long time, has been called by many names including atypical poliomyelitis   
• the death rate of M.E. is about 3%  

As I write this blog I'm feeling sad after hearing yesterday of the loss of another wonderful ME/CFS warrior yesterday Lara Dawn George Henderson. She was one of my friends on Facebook. Although I didn't know her that well she was part of the ME/CFS community.  I know that she will be remembered for her enthusiasm and passion. My thoughts are with her family and friends right now. 

This is why we must all keep fighting, campaigning and raising awareness about the seriousness of this illness. We should support charities like Invest in ME Research.  And this is why I continue to write about this illness and donate a percentage of all sales of my books to Invest in ME Research. 

So join me in this fight and start doing something from today. 

A bientot
from the French Femme 
xxx