Governor Gretchen Whitmer is a lifelong Michigander. She is a lawyer, an educator, former prosecutor, State Representative and Senator. She was the first woman to lead a Senate caucus. But the most important title she boasts is MOM. Inspired by her family, she’s devoted her life to building a stronger Michigan for everyone.
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May 12, 2022
WHEREAS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS, is a severe multi-system neuroimmune disease characterized by overwhelming exhaustion, cognitive problems, pain, post-exertional relapse, immune dysfunction, headaches, cardiac symptoms, dizziness, and balance problems. As many as 75% of patients become unable to work, and an estimated 25% become unable to leave their homes or even their beds; and,
WHEREAS, ME/CFS has been found by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) to be “a legitimate, serious, and complex systemic disease that frequently and dramatically limits the activities of affected individuals”; and,
WHEREAS, patients struggle to access appropriate medical care; the rate of recovery is low and patients are at increased risk of suicide; and,
WHEREAS, according to the U.S. ME/CFS Clinician Coalition, ME/CFS affects an estimated 1 to 2.5 million Americans, at an annual cost to our country of $18-24 billion dollars per year in lost productivity and medical costs; and,
WHEREAS, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to the President of the United States, patients post-COVID-19 can develop a post-viral syndrome that is strikingly similar to ME/CFS; and,
WHEREAS, ME/CFS experts conservatively estimate that about 10% of those diagnosed with COVID-19 will develop lingering symptoms that meet the National Academies of Medicine diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, effectively doubling the prevalence of ME/CFs; and,
WHEREAS, awareness of ME should lead to increased funding for research and result in better medical care with more accurate diagnoses and appropriate treatments;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim May 12, 2022 as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Awareness Day in Michigan.