The ME/CFS Society of NSW Inc.

A really worthwhile workshop for people with any long-term Chronic Health Condition is being held on the Central Coast by NSW Health Northern Sydney Central Coast. A Self-Management 2-1/2 hour Workshop weekly for 6 weeks to help regain your normal health quickly.

What you will learn is strategies and techniques to help you manage your symptoms and improve your health. This Live Your Life course has achieved outstanding results. Your friend family or carer is most welcome. Pls Call 4328 7340 or 4328 7341 for more information.

We have been advised by National Disability that the NSW Companion Card is only issued to people with significant and permanent life-long disability who are unable to participate without assistance. ME/CFS/FM people are not eligible for the card.

Are you moving ahead or falling behind? How to make your ME/CFS/FM pacing more productive. For more information on this please see website by Bruce Campbell Ph.D., Executive Director CFIDS & Fibromyalgia Self-Help Program www.cfidsselfhelp.org.

Whilst on this website read how overlapping and related conditions are often diagnosed with ME/CFS/FM and by treating these you are likely to moderate your CFS and Fibromyalgia symptoms.

Carers NSW have announced that Hoyts Cinemas is offering Carers members $1 tickets to their cinemas (maximum one ticket per day) when accompanied by a person with a disability. Valid until 2011. Phone NSW Carers 9280 4744

by Kerri Stephenson

Do onions make you cry? Have you ever peeled back the layers one by one? That’s what my life with ME/CFS/FM (Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Fibromyalgia) has been like over the past 14 years; gradually losing layer by layer of my once active, social, independent life until I hit the centre/rock bottom/got right back to the basic routine of sleeping/eating/bathroom and was like a baby needing 24/7 care because I was too weak to move, talk or do anything other than keep breathing.

"Why should I have a holiday?" Take a break from the responsibility of caring with the person you care for (with someone else doing the caring) or take a break by yourself. By phoning the Commonwealth Carer Respite Centre on 1800 059 059 you will be able to talk about any issues you may have about taking a break and learn how you can make it happen.

In October 2009, ME/CFS Australia convened a summit in Canberra where it made a number of positive decisions related to its future.

ME/CFS Australia wishes to establish its operations so that it can deliver Nationally-focused programs that will improve the wellbeing of Australians affected by ME/CFS. Before we get ahead of ourselves, we must engage with the Australian ME/CFS Community to test our ideas for support and to assess the feasibility of expansion. We have established a Blog as a means of connecting with everyone with an interest in ME/CFS. http://mecfsaustralia.wordpress.com/

If there are any people in the Australian Capital Territory eager to be involved in Advocacy work, please contact me.
Cheers, Paul Leverenz
ME/CFS Australia
mecfs@mecfs.org.au

Media Release

For immediate release: 16 October 2009

The Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannett Williams Memorial Foundation announces its 2009 Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease medical and scientific grant recipients

The Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannett Williams Memorial Foundation (The Mason Foundation) has awarded 18 grants totalling $1,078,136 in its fourth open round of medical and scientific research grants for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Alzheimer's disease research.

Researchers from around Australia were invited to apply, with all applications assessed by the ANZ Trustees National Medical Advisory Panel.