There has been a lot of positive feedback regarding the documentary, Unrest directed, produced, written by, narrated, and starring Jennifer Brea. Unrest addresses the serious issue of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome as it’s more commonly known. In this week’s show, Donna and I are discussing Unrest.
{Scroll down for the video of this show.}
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Donna Burch is the co-host for Fibro Live!
Donna is the writer and creator of Fed Up with Fatigue. As a former journalist, her website contains informative articles regarding news, research, treatments and more regarding fibromyalgia and chronic Lyme. She hosts an engaging group on Facebook called What Works for Fibromyalgia. Click here to join the group.
Unrest Synopsis
Taken from the Unrest website:
“Jennifer Brea’s Sundance award-winning documentary, Unrest, is a personal journey from patient to advocate to storyteller. Jennifer is twenty-eight years-old, working on her PhD at Harvard, and months away from marrying the love of her life when a mysterious fever leaves her bedridden. When doctors tell her it’s “all in her head,” she picks up her camera as an act of defiance and brings us into a hidden world of millions that medicine abandoned.
In this story of love and loss, newlyweds Jennifer and Omar search for answers as they face unexpected obstacles with great heart. Often confined by her illness to the private space of her bed, Jennifer connects with others around the globe. Like a modern-day Odysseus, she travels by Skype into a forgotten community, crafting intimate portraits of four other families suffering similarly. Jennifer Brea’s wonderfully honest and humane portrayal asks us to rethink the stigma around an illness that affects millions. Unrest is a vulnerable and eloquent personal documentary that is sure to hit closer to home than many could imagine.”
What is ME?
Taken from the Unrest website about M.E.:
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), commonly known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or ME/CFS, is a devastating multi-system disease that causes dysfunction of the neurological, immune, endocrine and energy metabolism systems.
It often follows an infection and leaves 75% of those affected unable to work and 25% homebound are bedridden. An estimated 15-30 million people worldwide have ME.
Common symptoms include:
- significant physical or mental fatigue
- post-exertional malaise (a reduction in functioning and a severe worsening of symptoms after even minimal exertion)
- debilitating pain
- sleep dysfunction
- cognitive dysfunction
- neurological impairment
- sensory sensitivity
- severe immune dysfunction
What can you do to help?
Making a difference when helping a cause takes more than awareness. Taking action goes hand in hand when raising awareness. There IS a way to help in making a difference for someone who lives with ME. Visit #TimeForUnrest to see how you can join in making a difference.
#TimeForUnrest is a global campaign to grow and strengthen the global movement for equal recognition, education, research, and funding for ME.
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