is a group that primarily aims to provide a social, medical, and professional network for 40-and-under patients with neuro-immune disease (ME/CFS, Chronic Lyme Disease, Atypical MS, Fibromyalgia, MCS, mold illness)
I understand that many may not agree with this particular adjoining of illnesses. Let me say that I personally think there is a lot of overlap between ME/CFS, Chronic Lyme Disease, Fibro etc, even though there are distinct differences and even different subsets between them. However this group first and foremost is about providing a easily-found support group for younger patients with all of these chronic illnesses.
During the 5 years I've been sick, I've always wanted to meet other patients around my age (I am a 27-year old male patient). Despite living in large metro areas such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Columbus, and Las Vegas, I never succeeded in finding one in any forum, whether online or local support groups, but instead always stumbled upon one by chance. Young adult patients already deal with an inhuman amount of suffering and isolation due to neuro immune diseases such as chronic lyme and ME/CFS, so it really is hard to fathom that no one has created a dedicated destination for us to find other patients in our age group that can relate to the consequences of this illness that are unique to our generation.
This lack of support for young adults, often fresh out of the most socially-embedded times of their lives, is what I'm trying to change with Healkick, and from the early discussions going on in our forum, it seems this type of interaction between younger patients has been a long time coming.
The Lyme Disease Network is a non-profit organization funded by individual donations. If you would like to support the Network and the LymeNet system of Web services, please send your donations to:
The
Lyme Disease Network of New Jersey 907 Pebble Creek Court,
Pennington,
NJ08534USA http://www.lymenet.org/
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