#MEAction Shares Our Thanks for Your BOLD ACTIONS

During this time of thankfulness and gratitude, #MEAction staff wants to share what BOLD ACTIONS we are thankful our volunteers and community have taken throughout the year.

We thought we could reflect together on all that we have accomplished this year and how every single one of us is important in this powerful community. A community who never ceases to amaze us with BOLDNESS, STRENGTH, COMPASSION, and VULNERABILITY!

I’m beyond thankful for the dedication, spoons and sheer grit our State Chapters put into advocating BOLDLY for ME within their home states. I want to give a special shout-out to the #MEAction New Hampshire State Chapter that hosted an amazingly successful medical education event at Dartmouth Medical Center last month.

— Adriane

#MEAction’s forthcoming peer-assistance program, Canary Corps, is both inspired by, and developed in collaboration with, so many volunteers, advocates and activists. I’m thankful for the BOLD ACTION they show everyday in the ways they’ve supported community members in need, and how they’ve helped us to dream BOLDLY for a different future. The many vulnerable conversations I’ve had with volunteers who’ve been willing to share their own struggles for support in vivid detail have been critical to helping us design a program that is based on our community’s lived experience and wisdom.

— Ben

I am beyond thankful for the people who have shared their art with us during the Salons, Severe ME Artist Projects, and other opportunities. Art is a foundational part of activism. I continue to be impressed by those who BOLDLY share their work with us, for it is more than just their art…it is the vulnerability that it takes to share a part of themselves.

— Erin

I’m thankful for everyone who volunteers hours of their time to make sure that information on MEpedia is articulate and cited and remains a useful, living document! We use staff time to build infrastructure, and staff, past and present, have written chunks of MEpedia… but the project would never be where it is today without the BOLD volunteers: longstanding volunteers who have edited MEpedia thousands of times, and people, too, who edit one time to drop a useful reference into an article. That helps ensure that there is an accurate source of information out there for researchers, clinicians, and people living with ME and Long COVID to use. We couldn’t do it without you!

— Jaime

I am so thankful for the kindness I see every day online by our community. Kindness is truly a BOLD action in this day and age. I especially see this kindness in our support groups as we offer genuine caring and concern to one another. I am incredibly thankful for the volunteer moderators who do the work to keep these groups a safe space. Activism does not exist apart from community and online is where our community has been built. We are stronger together. I am thankful for every single member of our community.

— Holly

The activists involved in the MillionsMissing protest and installation made both events successful and impactful. Whether developing a successful press strategy, literally setting up cots, writing protest signs, handing out literature or posting photos from home, the events were better because of the BOLD work of the community. I’m constantly fired up by the ideas and passions of activists who give their time and energy (however much that is) to a cause we all believe is worth fighting for.

— Laurie

I’m so thankful for the Writers Guild Initiative workshops. As a writer it was so important for me to make sure this program came together for #MEAction. Our community has so much BOLD talent and being able to witness it firsthand is incredible.

— Shalida

#MEAction is able to do what we do, because of you! You are at the center of all our advocacy, research, press outreach, and community building. We are beyond grateful for you and hope you can feel our BOLD THANKS today!

In gratitude, 

All of us at #MEAction