Episode 38: Heather Dreske Pt1, living with & advocating for better understanding ME (CFS subset)

Heather Dreske has a meaningful story to share to give light, insight and comfort to her readers and listeners in this warm and wonderful conversation. A bit about Heather: Major in Psych and a Minor in Africology, in 1994 volunteered in office for Public Allies in Milwaukee (which Americorps was based on), worked as an Ally as Economic Development Coordinator in a Milwaukee neighborhood organization and was rewarded with a Proclamation for a day in her name by the Mayor of Milwaukee for her work there. Through this work Heather became acutely aware of the poor health of adults and children due to economic insecurity and stumbled upon Naturopathic Medicine with a plan to come back to that area to create a holistic clinic (though that path would eventually lead elsewhere). Heather attended Blue Sky massage school and opened an independent office, went back to school for pre med prerequisites and lived in Nice, France during winter break through the Hofstra Univ of NY exchange program. Heather attended Southwest Naturopathic Medical School in AZ, passed the boards and maintains her license. Around 2003 she started noticing she wasn’t completely well and within a few years discovered through her own research that her symptoms aligned with what was then called Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or CFS, now more appropriately understood in her case as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis or ME (which is in the news a lot at the time of this episode publication relating to Covid-19 long haulers). This lead to Heather committing to as much advocacy work as her health allowed to promote better understanding of CFS (broad spectrum) and ME (more specific) including facilitating the first showing of the documentary The Forgotten Plague by Ryan Prior , being filmed for the Sundance award winning documentary Unrest (though she does not appear in the final cut) and promoting ME organizations, advocates and writers. She has and continues to blog BEAUTIFULLY about her direct experience with the challenges she faces with ME at HeatherDreske.com - her writing is sincere, accessible, informative and moving. Her main priorities are now her dog Daisy (after a heartbreaking loss of her fierce friend and canine companion and attentive healer of 15 years, Sophie), friendships and family and showing up the best she can, missing most the ability to travel, spontaneity, eating out and the feel of having a healthy body. Please enjoy this conversation with gratitude and consciousness in all of the joy that it has to offer. www.HeatherDreske.com https://www.meaction.net/ #millionsmissing #Desiderata