Sad News From Our Community — Content Warning

CONTENT NOTE:

We are sharing some sad news and encourage you to take a moment to evaluate if it is safe for you to receive this news now. Please put your health first. If now is not a safe time for you, please pass on reading the content below for now.

• Content warning for sharing the loss of a community member.

Honoring Beth Mazur

It is with deep sadness that we share with you that we lost one of our heroes and dedicated champions of ME yesterday. Beth Mazur passed away after battling ME for 15 years. She was a selfless beacon of hope and light for so many in our community and she demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the cause. We could not be more devastated. 

Beth put her whole self into the fight for equity for people with ME. Every person with ME mattered more to Beth than you will ever know. 

Beth Mazur and Jennifer Brea founded #MEAction based on an idea they shared in 2014. This organization would not exist without her. What she did since then has been extraordinary. She cared about the big things–what we fought for and how we advocated, and she also spent countless hours working with individuals to improve their circumstances. She was selfless. 

We will never fully know what Beth did for everyone at #MEAction and this community because she never sought recognition. She turned the spotlight onto the often-overlooked challenges we face. She wanted to help others who were suffering, and she did.

As we say our goodbyes, let us remember Beth not only for the battles she fought but for the victories she achieved. She leaves behind a movement that will endure, a testament to the power of one individual's unwavering commitment to a cause larger than oneself. May her spirit continue to inspire us all as we carry forward the torch she so brightly lit.

On behalf of her family, friends, and all of us at #MEAction, we pay tribute to the kindest soul, who deserved better than to suffer from this terrible disease. We will be honoring Beth’s life in the new year and we will let you all know what the plans are once they are finalized. 

Beth was more than a co-founder, more than an advocate, more than a brilliant developer. Beth was a friend, a daughter, sister, companion, and her love and selflessness is impossible to describe. Our gratitude and love for Beth will live on and her legacy will live on. 

We love you, Beth. 

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For any of you who experience trauma/grief/sadness/or suicidal thoughts from this post, we ask you to please reach out immediately. Your life, you as an individual, matter greatly to us, and we are sending our love to each and every one of you. 

We maintain a list of crisis resources by country here:

Crisis Resources

If going through a list feels overwhelming you can call or chat with 988 in the US or use findahelpline.com anywhere.