Severe ME Day Interview with Wendy Matthews

Join us today on Severe ME Day, August 8th, for our interview with Wendy Matthews, a pivotal voice in the ME community, particularly for severe ME. 

Wendy brings a unique and deeply informed perspective as an ANZMES Executive Committee member, Chair/Trustee of ME Respite, and through her 30 years of lived experience with severe ME, having been largely bed-bound for 20 of those years.

This interview will be an exploration of the crisis facing the severe ME community, focusing on three key areas:

1. The Lived Experience: Wendy will share the unfiltered reality of living with severe ME—the daily battles, the profound loss, and the immense resilience required to navigate a life largely hidden from the world.

2. A Message to Health Professionals: The interview will articulate what healthcare professionals MUST know to provide safe, evidence-based care and, crucially, to prevent the harm that so many in our community have endured.

3. A Call to Policymakers: Wendy will outline the clear, non-negotiable actions that policymakers must take to address systemic neglect and build a system of support that provides for the most vulnerable - including her vital goal of establishing dedicated, ME-trained respite centres.

This interview is the centerpiece of our campaign activities for the day, which include the sharing of our 'InMEmory' and 'InSolidarity' initiative/video tributes to honour those we have lost and those who continue to live in the deepest isolation of this illness.

We hope this ‘event’ will create a powerful narrative, underpinning our collective call for urgent action. 

Learn more and download resources at: https://anzmes.org.nz/world-me-day/severe-me-day-2025-8-august-2025/

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