Fifteen-year-old Anna's life was catastrophically changed when she developed ME/CFS after a COVID infection. Struggling to achieve a diagnosis, her family didn't know where to turn. Your tax deductible donation to Emerge Australia before June 30th ensures that patients, like Anna*, can access the crucial help they desperately need
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In a medical landscape rife with outdated and inaccurate information, countless individuals with ME/CFS are enduring devastating consequences
Meet Anna* – a once high energy thirteen-year-old girl before she contracted COVID-19. She was very bright, an academic achiever who loved school, played competitive sport and was so healthy she didn’t even have a regular GP.
Today, she is reliant on tube feeding, confined to her bed, battling frequent bouts of vomiting, and dealing with a non-functioning gastro-intestinal system. Despite these debilitating symptoms, Anna was only recently diagnosed with ME/CFS, as well as Long COVID, which has a number of common symptoms that overlap with ME/CFS.
Anna's struggle to recover from COVID-19 was compounded by a lack of informed advice from medical professionals. As Anna’s mum reflects:
“Neither ME/CFS nor Long COVID are well-understood diseases; it took a considerable amount of time and finding the right practitioners for her to even receive a diagnosis.”
Despite following doctors' recommendations diligently, Anna's health continued to decline. What Anna needed was a healthcare professional equipped with the knowledge provided by Emerge Australia's GP Education Program.
Anna’s mother is calling for a greater level of education, understanding and awareness of ME/CFS and Long COVID, to help her daughter and others like her: “It’s like being in lockdown, but it’s a never-ending lockdown, and it’s your body you are locked in,” Anna’s mum described. “She misses life incredibly.”
By connecting health practitioners with Emerge Australia, they gain access to a wealth of evidence-based knowledge. This empowers them to better manage ME/CFS and Long COVID, advocating effectively for those living with these chronic and debilitating conditions.
Will you donate today so that GPs and medical professionals have access to the essential information needed to effectively diagnose and treat these patients?
Emerge Australia’s GP Education Program has a proven track record of success. Testimonials from GPs and healthcare providers who have completed the program highlight the lasting impact accessible information can have on both practitioners and patients. One participant shared:
“The program enlightened me on the necessity of long-term care. I left feeling more equipped to assess patients and initiate symptom management, with a heightened awareness of the intersection between ME/CFS and Long COVID."
Through Emerge Australia's GP Education Program, GPs gain the confidence and knowledge to identify, diagnose, and manage the complex symptoms of ME/CFS. Patients, including young people like Anna, are counting on your generous support to restore hope in their lives. Your donation today will improve the lives of people living with ME/CFS and Long COVID. People like Anna, including children, are counting on your generous support to restore hope in their lives. Your donation today will improve the lives of these patients.
* We are very grateful to this generous and courageous family in our community.To protect their privacy, images and names have been changed
