Updated Golbal List of famous/historical people with CFS/ME

SpringSummerAutumn;149958 said:

Here is a short list of some celebrities (people who are or have been in the public, or media's eye) who have been diagnosed previously or still have chronic fatigue syndrome, Myalgic Encephomylitis or historical people who may of possibly had the disease

Wikipedia list of celebs with CFS/ME

Some notable names:
Michelle Akers (Former Olympic soccer player, who starred in the historic 1991 and 1999 Women's World Cup victory by the U.S.. She won the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the 1991 tournament. She is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame. - In 1991, Michelle Akers was named the best woman soccer player in the world and had become the first woman player to have a paid endorsement. Yet after leading her team to victory for the first FIFA Women's Soccer World Championship in China, Michelle returned home completely exhausted. She rested and changed her diet. However, as time progressed, the fatigue headaches, gastrointestinal imbalance and metabolism problems progressed as well. Two years after the initial symptoms began, Michelle collapsed during a game at the Olympic Sports Festival in San Antonio, Texas. Diagnoses progressed from mononucleosis to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and finally, in the spring of 1994, to Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS).

Flea (Musician - Red Hot Chili Peppers - In 1993 Flea was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)

Howard Bloom (Named as one of the ten famous individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome in the For Dummies book on CFS)

Cher - (singer songwriter - In 1992, Cher took some time off from her career and it was widely reported that the virus was responsible. My experience was it was really a physical illness but it does make you depressed as well, she told the BBC. Its a virus you have its called Epstein Barr virus and the disease it gives you is chronic fatigue. Boy, it was devastating for meI wasnt able to work for almost three years, the singer added.)

Laura Hillenbrand (Wrote Seabiscuit: An American Legend, the basis for the film Seabiscuit during a 16 year struggle with illness. Hillenbrand also published an essay about Chronic Fatigue Syndrome titled: A Sudden Illness, in The New Yorker, July 7, 2003, p. 56)
http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2003/07/07/030707fa_fact_hillenbrand

Pema Chdrn - (Author & Tibetan Buddhist nun - In 1994, after experiencing years of baffling, undiagnosable symptoms, she was found to be suffering from chronic fatigueimmune dysfunction syndrome as well as environmental illness. The following year, she undertook a long-term course of healing, beginning with a year off. In hindsight, she considers her illness to be an event of major significance: "It required me to simplify my life, a very sane thing to do." Her discomfort became a source of compassion, "a heartfelt connection with all those unknown people" suffering similarly or much more than her. "Life has taught me the wisdom of moving toward what scares me," she concludes.)

Peter Marshall (The former world No 2 squash player was at his peak when hit by CFS. He was given the choice between a 250,000 insurance payout or a comeback. He chose the latter and made it back into the worlds top ten.)

Laura Dundovic - (former miss universe - "I have chronic fatigue - it began when I was 15, I got glandular fever and I've been worn out since. They thought I had Hodgkin's lymphoma (at first), and that was very worrying. During my HSC (year) I would study during lunchtime because I couldn't stay awake at night. This carried on for years and just before I did Miss Universe, I hit rock bottom." She said she was sleeping up to 10 hours a day before taking part in the pageant.)

Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood mac - Diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in 1987)

Blake Edwards (Film director, screenwriter and producer. Writer of the Pink Panther series and Breakfast at Tiffany's - He described his struggle with the illness chronic fatigue syndrome for 15 years in the documentary I Remember Me.)

Ricky Carmichael (motorcross racer - Carmichael was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in October 2007. Ive just felt like Ive been running out of steam the past few months. Training has been difficult. Ive struggled to maintain my normal pace on my road bike and though Ive been extremely tired, Ive had a difficult time sleeping and never really feel rested, said Carmichael.)

Ken Wilbur (philosopher Began having seizures on December 5, 2006, was diagnosed with RNase Enzyme Deficiency Disease (REDD)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. Stating: "When the intensive care doctors asked me what I thought it was, the first thing I always said was that we can't rule out the most obvious: it comes with the territory of CFIDS/REDD/ME. In fact, the reason that this illness is often referred to as M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is that, as one of its leading authorities, Byron Hyde M.D., put it, "By definition, all M.E. patients will have some level of seizure activity as part of their illness." And as for types of seizure activity, a standard comprehensive guide to M.E. lists them as: "simple partial seizures, petite mal seizures, and grand mal seizures.")

Leigh Hatcher (Australian News presenter - Leigh wrote the book titled Im Not Crazy, Im Just A Little Unwell - relating his experience with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
http://www.notcrazy.net/

Keith Jarrett (A Google search for 'Keith Jarrett chronic fatigue syndrome' gives links to several of his interviews talking about the effect the disease had on him and his music.)

Andy Hunt (Forced to retire early from football during the 200001 season aged 30, I was like a zombie, he said. It turned out he had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Hunt now runs the Belize Jungle Dome and Green Dragon Adventure Travel, a pair of adventure travel companies in Belize, with his wife, former MTV presenter Simone Angel.)

Rich Carlson - Businessman and philanthropist, Founder of ProHealth, Inc. - (Carson has recently launched a campaign to change the name chronic fatigue syndrome, which he feels is demeaning to patients and trivializes the seriousness of their illness. Since late July when he first mentioned his dissatisfaction with the name, he has received hundreds of letters of support. Carson said, My favorite letter was from someone who said that calling this disease Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is like calling Parkinson's disease Chronic Shakiness Syndrome or calling Alzheimer's disease, Chronic Forgetfulness Syndrome. Carson is one of 'The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' from portraits of 8 patients and 2 CFS experts. An exhibit which features photographs from renowned photographer George Lange)

Florence Nightingale - Nurse - (Florence Nightingale's illness began in 1896 after she returned from the Crimean War and spent years housebound, too fatigued to talk to more than one visitor at a time. Her birthday (12 May 1820) is celebrated as International CFS and Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.)

Charles Darwin - (There have been suggestions in several medical journals such as the Lancet and British Medical Journal, that Charles Darwin may of had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When he arrived back to England after travels to South America and Pacific Islands, he started suffering from what has been described as Fatigue, pains, abdominal troubles, headaches, insomnia, anxiety, dermal problems used to flare up at times of stress such as attending meetings trying to defend his theory of evolution.)

Marie Curie - (At the age of 15 Currie suffered from a what has been described as fatigue or exhaustion or nervous troubles, after graduating with honours, and as Valedictorian of her class, from high school. The illness left her feeling extremely lethargic and she spent a year recuperating in the Polish countryside.)

People i haven't added yet but would like help adding:
any historical figures who may of had illness although not diagnosed as 'cfs/me' had similar symptoms - this helps show that has been going on for a longer time and isn't a made up or modern psychosomatic thing.
someone mentioned Leanne Rhymes on a forum but i couldn't find much?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_DeYoung
any scientists/mathmaticians/ artists, musicians, political figures, etc...

Please feel free to help add to the wikipedia list or send to someone who might desire to do so, so it can be more comprehensive (i know there have been similar lists in some online forums like this one - but if there is a global 'go to' list in Wikipedia it can be available & of benefit to a much wider audience internationally and used as a resource to help raise awareness and exposure)

Benefit of such a list:
Many of these people in the public eye have written or spoken out about this CFS and its effect. And for people living with cfs/me, or their families or friends can then knowing who these people are Google them to find out more information, how it impacted their lives, adding a public face to the illness, what treatments they researched and underwent what worked and what didnt, and it also gives hope that in spite of the challenges they faced were able to move on and how illness shaped them as a person, and how they grew from the experience - and to show its not an illness for 'lazy people' who may have an aversion to work, that many respectable people have it. I have added a few and updated a bit of details but it's a little bit tiring doing it all on my own.

It helps bring illness into the public eye, and into the medias attention and thus more attention on treatment/cures/and general education of public's perceptions of illness.

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