05/12/2026
Today is ME/CFS Awareness Day. As you (hopefully) know, we donate 15% of every Cookie Club membership and 100% of our Blue Sunday profits to ME/CFS nonprofits in the hopes that there is better understanding, more research, and more support for the people, myself included, living with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS, sometimes referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome).
💙 ME/CFS is a neuro-immune condition that often occurs after an infection (mono, lyme, flu, covid)
👥 Experts estimate that 4-5x as many people have ME/CFS today as compared to 2020. As many as 15 million people, in America alone, with 80-90% undiagnosed due to lack of medical education and/or stigma
⚠️ ME/CFS affects every system of the body and involves, at minimum, a 50% loss of functional capacity.
🛌 75% of people with ME are unable to work, even part time. 25% are entirely unable to leave their homes or their beds
⚡ Post Exertional Malaise (PEM) is the hallmark symptom and occurs after any overexertion (physical, mental, emotional...). PEM causes a debilitating spike in symptoms and is often delayed by 12-72 hours making it hard to know the exact cause. It can last hours, weeks, or more
📉 There is no FDA-approved treatment or cure. Most patients receive little or no medical care that helps.
🧬 Research is underfunded. ME/CFS receives only 1% of funding commensurate to disease burden .
Common Symptoms Include:
🌀 Orthostatic Intolerance- dizziness, fainting, disregulated heart rate etc. when standing or upright
🛏️ Unrefreshing sleep- no matter how much we sleep, our bodies are never refreshed and often more drained than before
🧠 Cognitive dysfunction (“brain fog”) severely impacts daily function- difficulty understanding information or conversations, trouble formulating thoughts/finding words,
🔥 Muscle aches, joint pain, and headaches that don’t respond well to typical pain medications.
🌡️ Severe sensitivity to light, sound, touch, chemicals, or food
🤒 Flu-like symptoms — such as sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, and low-grade fever
