Women surviving and thriving with ME/CFS

Everyone deserves support in the face of illness or suffering. We expect understanding and our needs accommodated to help us thrive.

Unfortunately sufferers of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is poorly understood leaving people with ME/CFS isolated and vulnerable to misdiagnosis.

ME/CFS is a complex, multi-system neuro-immune condition with many symptoms related to the dysfunction of the brain, and gastro-intestinal, immune, endocrine and cardiac systems.

Over 48,000 Victorian women are affected and 25% of patients are unable to work and live in poverty.

“We’re so excited to receive this grant from Victorian Women’s Trust. This grant from VWT is going to help us support women who are experiencing hardship to have a brighter – and more financially secure – future. We’re going to use the grant to develop and run a program to educate women about how to better access financial support and therefore to directly try to help them to live with this chronic, unrelenting condition.”

– Dr Heidi Nicholl, Chief Executive Officer

Organisation: Emerge Australia

Grant Type: Small Grant

Amount: $10,000

Year: 2018-2019

The Emerge Australia project supporting women with ME/CFS will develop webinars and workshops to educate sufferers, service providers, medical professionals and community groups on the socio- economic impacts of living with ME/CFS. This educational program will focus on ways to survive and thrive, helping everyone to better understand these conditions and how to access or improve financial and disability support networks.

Government officials and disability advocacy organisations will be invited to partner in these efforts to improve economic and social outcomes for women living with MC/CFS.

Back to 2018 grants

A special thanks to the Phyllis Connor Memorial Trust for supporting this project.