Help Move Research Forward on Giving Tuesday!

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Today is Giving Tuesday, a day to focus on less material things after the crazy consumerism/shopping of the past few days!

For an extra gift to yourself, consider donating to an organization that supports ME/CFS patients and/or research. There has never been a better time - or more need for funding - for ME/CFS research. There have been so many exciting breakthroughs in the last few years that need further research to give us actual diagnostic tools, treatment options, and someday a cure!

Here is a list of ME/CFS organizations to consider donating to today - and all year-round - including 2 ways to TRIPLE your donation today only:

• Solve ME/CFS Initiative - one of the leading ME/CFS research funding organizations in the world (they have funded a lot of important research over more than two decades) and creator of the ME/CFS BioBank and Patient Registry. Their message for this past week & today:

"Our triple-your-gift #GivingTuesday matching campaign has one day remaining. We must raise $750,000 in November and December to cover our budget for the year. For every tax-deductible dollar you give between now and November 29, our matching team of generous donors will give three.

Triple YOUR tax-deductible gift at DONATE.SolveCFS.org."  

Here's more info on the organization and the donation page. While you're at it, sign up to participate in the BioBank and Patient Registry to help move research forward in another way.

• Open Medicine Foundation - and their End ME/CFS Project, including a study focused on the severely ill - a top-notch research organization with some of the top ME/CFS doctors in the world. More information on the organization and the donation page. OMF also has a Triple-Giving Challenge today!!
• Simarron Research - an organization involved in a wide variety of ME/CFS research projects, including the ground-breaking immune study published last year from Columbia (the second half of that is still ongoing). More information on the organization and the donation page.
• The Nevada Center for Biomedical Research - a new name for The Whittemore-Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease - though we haven't heard a lot from this organization since their XMRV theory was disproven (that's the way science works - new theories pop up and they are investigated and often discarded in order to move forward), they still have a number of important research projects in progress. More information on the organization and their donation page.
• Health Rising - this is not actually a charity, but Cort Johnson, an ME/CFS patient himself, works tirelessly to seek out the latest research and information on ME/CFS and pass that along to other patients. I don't know how he manages all that he does, but I am grateful! His website (subtitled "Finding answers for ME/CFS and FM") is one of the first places I go for information, and he does accept donations (there's a Donate button on the homepage) to help him continue his important work.
• Invest in ME (UK) - the major UK organization for ME/CFS, created by patients and parents of children with ME and focused on funding biomedical research, education, and lobbying. More information on the organization and the donation page.
• The 25%ME Group - a UK organization that provides services to those who are most severely affected by ME. More information on the organization and the fundraising page, which includes a Donate button and information on other ways to help.
• Tymes Trust - "the longest established national UK service for children and young people with ME and their families."  They work with doctors, teachers, and other specialists to support children with ME. More information on the organization and the donation page.
• ME/CFS Australia (SA) - provides services and information, including support groups, an information line, and youth support, to ME/CFS patients in Australia. More information on the organization and the donation page.
• Emerge Australia - this organization is mainly an advocacy group that "advocates for, educates about, and provides information on" ME/CFS in Australia. More information on the organization and the donation page. 

Wow, there are so many great organizations working tirelessly to help ME/CFS patients! And I'm sure I missed some - please ass your favorites in the comments section.

Take a moment to choose one of these worthy organizations to donate to - if each ME/CFS patient only gave $5 to an organization, we'd have millions more dollars for research and other services!

And if you don't get to it on Giving Tuesday (November 29), I'm sure any of these organizations would appreciate your donation any day of the year.

Remember, you can also donate painlessly while you shop! Most online stores will donate a portion of your purchase to the charity of your choice - sign up (free) for these three great donate-while-you-shop services. I know I helped ME/CFS research a LOT on Cyber Monday yesterday while shopping from my couch!