Thanks for posting this, Cort. I'm a patient at Dr. Bateman's clinic, and I can tell you that I've never seen a more dedicated group of people. They have considerable expertise in research, and it could benefit all of us with CFS much more if they had better tools and more funding.
Laurel,
I am not a patient of Dr. Bateman. I was on her waiting list but then my infectious issues raged out of control and Dr. Montoya (whom I had seen before) agreed to get me in ASAP.
I volunteered to help the FCC Research Department because I knew that the XMRV research with Dr. Singh was in the works and that Dr. Bateman was the most promising conduit for CFS patients to get involved (this is exactly what the WPI needs to validate their findings and then some). I had also heard Dr. Bateman talk on a number of occasions and I knew she was bright dedicated and that she had devoted herself to CFS because of her sister. I have gotten to know her a bit better since volunteering for this project (she's impossible to get to sit still for long), my respect for her has only grown.
Her staff is as dedicated as anyone could want but dealing with the technical issues takes a lot of energy that could go into recruitment. This project is intended to address both issues.
I know we're all strapped for cash. I don't expect big donations (although that would be great). One hundred people contributing $30 or 300 contributing $10 would make a world of difference (a lot of $2-5 contributions would get us there as well).
Laurel, thanks for sharing your experience with Dr. Bateman.