In this month's newsletter:

• Matching Donations!
• Mark Your Calendars: CDC Call
• A Very Special Thank You to MassME Past President Leah Williams
• Warm Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season!

Board Match!

Between now and December 31 our board will match donations, dollar for dollar, up to $5,000.

Contribute now so your gift will be doubled!

Your generous gift will enable us to:

• Hire professional facilitators for our growing on-line support group program;
• Improve our outreach to underserved communities;
• Increase the number of health care, social service and legal professionals that are able and willing to provide services to people with ME/CFS and related illnesses.

Remember that even if you don’t itemize your deductions on your federal taxes, for 2021 you can take a $300 deduction for charitable contributions ($600 if married and filing jointly).

Thank you!

December 16, 2021 at 3:00 pm Eastern Time

CDC ME/CFS Stakeholder Engagement and Communication (SEC) Conference Call

• Participants can join the zoom webinar by clicking this link:

  • https://cdc.zoomgov.com/j/1604731665?pwd=cmoyQllSQ0tmMVVWNFI0RDBEbUpIdz09

• or by phone using one of the following numbers:

  • 1-669-254-5252 or 1-646-828-7666

• When prompted, please enter the meeting id and passcode:

  • Meeting ID: 160 473 1665

  • Passcode: 00127230

• International numbers available: https://cdc.zoomgov.com/u/amrAMO4Qb

Meeting Agenda

• Welcome and Meeting Overview
• Updates from CDC                
  • Elizabeth Unger, PhD, MD – Branch Chief, Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Guest Speaker       "Is ME/CFS Another Face of Long Covid?"
  • Hector Bonilla, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Medicine - Infectious Diseases, Stanford University.
• Question and Answer (Q&A)
  • To ask a question during the meeting within the Zoom webinar platform, please:
    • Click on the “Raise Hand” button.
    • Ask your question when prompted.
  • To ask a question during the meeting by phone, please:
    • Enter *9 to add yourself to the queue.
    • Ask your question when prompted.

For more information, click here

A Very Special Thank You to Leah Williams In this final newsletter of 2021, we offer an immense amount of gratitude to our dear friend and colleague, Leah Williams. After six years of service, Leah will be stepping down from the Board of Directors, leaving a legacy of significant accomplishments. Leah came to MassME as a parent of two children with ME/CFS. She wasted no time at all in finding ways in which her skills and experience could benefit others. She began in 2012 as a volunteer, helping to organize events and help out in our patient services program by talking with other parents who came to the Association for support. Leah joined the Board of Directors in 2015, and was elected treasurer the following year, a position she filled until 2019. She then served as President from 2019-2020. During this past year, Leah has served as ex officio Board member, providing advice and counsel as we continue to meet the challenges laid out in our strategic plan.

Leah participated actively for many years in national advocacy for ME/CFS, and made several trips to Washington, D.C. to meet with congressional representatives and senators, along with advocates from national ME/CFS organizations and other advocates from Massachusetts.