Welcome.
I have had chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) since the afternoon of February 25, 2003. Since 2004 I have been writing about my experiences living with this disease. Many of these articles were published first in Meeting Place, the magazine produced by the New Zealand support organisation for people with CFS, ANZMES.
I hope that these articles and stories will help you to understand what effects CFS has had on my life. If you have CFS or another debilitating illness, I pray that they will give you hope that you can live a full life even with your limitations and that they will give you some practical pointers on how to do so.
You are welcome to store these articles on your computer, but please contact me before distributing them further.
In reverse chronological order of writing:
| 2016 | My Favourite Number (written for another ANZMES competition on things which give us hope) |
| 2014 | My Hope is in God (written for an ANZMES competition on things which give us hope) |
| Enabling Technologies 2 | |
| 2012 | From Disaster to a New Normal |
| 2011 | Suggested approaches for someone with suspected CFS |
| 2010 | In a Civil Defence Emergency |
| Wheelchair bike (about how Martin takes me on bike rides in my wheelchair) |
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| Tribute on the 30th anniversary of ANZMES | |
| 2009 | Caring for my carer (what I do to look after Martin) |
| Sewing (one of my favourite hobbies) |
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| 2008 | Christmas presents (things to make that are within my capacity) |
| Baking bread (bread that even the near-bed-bound can make) |
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| Writing a budget (nothing to do with CFS - notes on how we wrote our budget in answer to a friend's question) |
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| 2007 | Emotional impact of CFS |
| Walking with God when you can hardly walk | |
| Replacing Church (how I fill the void as I can't attend church) |
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| Talking books | |
| A window on my life (making meat pies in many 'little hops') |
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| Childlessness | |
| Low GI eating and CFS | |
| 2006 | Coping with relapse |
| Gluten and dairy free diet (a diet that didn't help me but has helped relieve CFS symptoms for some people) |
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| Reflections from the other side (an incomplete account of a brief period of recovery) |
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| Princess for a day (the story of our wedding) |
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| 2005 | Relationships (brief notes on how I find CFS impacts these) |
| Enabling technologies (gadgets not specifically designed for those with disabilities that make my life easier) |
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| Enjoying life in the slow lane | |
| 2004 | Cooking (brief notes on ways to make this task less energy intensive) |
| Travel (brief notes on coping with car and short-haul plane trips) |
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| Dasher (a description of a free computer program that enables you to type with a mouse) |