Jennifer, whose story was told in the Daily Mail this week, has passed away, aged 31 years old.

[Countrygirl]

WARNING: DISTRESSING NEWS.


This week there was, amazingly, a good article on ME in the Daily Mail online about ME.

Tragically, however, on Tuesday, 31-year-old Jennifer, who was one of the three people who had their stories told, died.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-7015737/Three-patients-reveal-accusations-endured.html

It's a controversial condition that has been swept under the carpet for decades amid claims that it is merely psychological.

Instead, the now-proven truth is myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is physical - and not just made up by mentally-ill patients.

Millions of lives around the world are being destroyed by the unrelenting condition, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Sufferers are often left house-bound, confined to their beds, reliant on feeding tubes and even needing help to get them in the shower.

But, despite evidence proving it is real coming to the forefront, ME remains incurable and dozens of people wrongly think it is just 'laziness'.

In the hope of ending ignorance surrounding the crippling ailment, MailOnline has heard from three long-standing sufferers.

Heartbreakingly, they revealed how doctors have blamed them for wasting their time, branded them attention-seekers and told their condition doesn't exist.

I have been treated like a hypochondriac for a decade - now my condition is worse than ever

Before being struck down by ME, Jennifer Chittick was out-going, hard-working and excited about her future as a primary school teacher.

Now, a decade after falling ill, the 31-year-old is weaker than ever, completely bed-bound and reliant on her retired parents to care for her.

During her agonising battle to get diagnosed, doctors repeatedly dismissed her debilitating symptoms as being merely a product of her imagination.

And she claims this delay, fuelled by ignorance among the medical community, is the reason she is as poorly as she is today.

Ms Chittick, from Glasgow, said: 'Throughout my time with ME, the treatment I've received from doctors has been deplorable.

'I am treated like a hypochondriac and an inconvenience, a blinkered patient who refuses to get the help her doctors believe she needs.'

]In March 2010, she collapsed at home and was whisked away to an unnamed hospital – the three days she spent there were 'amongst the worst of my life'.

Ms Chittick claims to have heard cruel nurses mutter the phrase 'attention-seeker' under their breath when they walked past her laying helplessly in bed.

And before she discharged with no answers to her ailment, medics allegedly refused to help her sit up in bed, give her water or even let her shower.

 

[Countrygirl]

https://www.meassociation.org.uk/20...gner-beloved-daughter-and-sister-24-may-2019/

It is with much shock and sadness that we report Jennifer Chittick died on Tuesday after a ten-year battle with M.E.


Jennifer was a beloved member of the M.E. community and an inspiration to many. She will be greatly missed.
Jennifer achieved so much for this community, campaigning, fundraising, sharing the story of her struggles and managing to raise a smile with her Screw ME Facebook page and social media events.

The announcement has already attracted many comments expressing shock, grief, gratitude and condolence for a person who was much-loved. Please visit the Screw ME Facebook page to leave a comment of your own.

“I am devastated to learn of Jen’s passing. There are tears flowing down my face as I type. We were only ‘chatting’ across cyberspace a few days ago. Jen was such a force for good in our community.”

“She fully recognised how M.E can be such an isolating illness, and worked so hard, through her Screw M.E. Facebook page to share advice and help to give a general sense of optimism and hope to sufferers.”
“Latterly, she clearly put everything she had got into spreading the word in this last M.E. Awareness Week. She will be sorely missed. SCREW M.E!”
Helen Hyland, Fundraising Manager, ME Association.
“This is extremely sad and unexpected news to receive, especially when it comes the day after Jennifer was featured in the major Daily Mail article on M.E.”
“I never met Jennifer but got to know her and her struggle with this wretched illness through occasional email correspondence.”
“I must pay tribute to all the work that Jennifer has done over many years in campaigning, raising awareness and fundraising to help other people with M.E., all of which she was doing up to the time of her death.”


Dr Charles Shepherd, Hon. Medical Adviser, ME Association.

 

[Mary]

That is an excellent article, and heartbreaking to read that Jennifer died. And one of the other 2 women profiled in the article also died from ME 2 years ago - two out of three . . .

 

[perrier]

This is utterly heartbreaking; all these young people felled by this monstrous disease. May this sweet young lady rest in peace

 

[Gingergrrl]

I missed the original article but thank you for posting this @Countrygirl. It is heartbreaking and I am so sorry to read about the loss of another young person. May you rest in peace, Jennifer, and may your memory be a blessing to your family, friends, and all who knew you in your on-line advocacy group.

 

[allyann]

Terrible news. Rest in peace Jennifer.

 

[Belgiangirl]

I am so shocked ...
Sorry for the sec approach but 2/3 of the girls in this article died?!

What was the cause of death?
I mean in any scientif article you look you can see the main causes of death:
- heart failure
- extreme agressive cancer years and years after start of the disease (+10-15 years)
- suïcide / euthanasia (chosen death)

Heart failure occurs in persons much younger then the general population, but NOT in people in their 30ies!!!

What has happened here???

Does anyone know?

You are not supposed to die from this and to be honest it makes me very scared and shocked, to know that she might not have got all medical help that she had the right to just like anyone else in the western world!!
I hope she didn't die like in medieval ages ...

I am so shocked...

 

[Hopeful1976]

Reading this fills me with terror that it could happen to me.... I'm so scared right now. I wish I could unsee this kind of stuff

 

[bertiedog]

That is an excellent article, and heartbreaking to read that Jennifer died. And one of the other 2 women profiled in the article also died from ME 2 years ago - two out of three .

Absolutely shocking and disgusting that this should happen in so called Great Britain.

Pam

 

[bombsh3ll]

This is heartbreaking and so scary. Does anyone know the actual event that led to her passing?

B xxx

 

[taniaaust1]

This is heartbreaking and so scary. Does anyone know the actual event that led to her passing?

B xxx

I'd be interested to know that too, if it was suicide over being bedbound and all the crap which comes with having this illness or if she died of one of the other ME/CFS known causes of death which there are a few

 

[taniaaust1]

You are not supposed to die from this .

People die from complications of having ME but unfortunately, currently the ME/CFS deaths are rarely reported. There is a cancer which is more connected to ME, there are heart issues which seem to be more common in ME The son (Cory?) of one ME/CFS advocate who also had ME/CFS died from myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle, he was in his early 20s, an English MP who had ME/CFS died of a heart attack after being told to exercise more and went to the gym and Emily Collingridge also died of heart problems due to this disease

There have been some ME deaths in severe ME patients who's kidneys fail or who can no longer eat or drink without vomiting.. I can think of 3 ME deaths from that. eg Alison Hunter a 19 year old Aussie girl, Sophia Mirza a person in England etc. A dr at the hospital was worried about my kidneys being damaged and possibly failing at one point due to my blood tests showing they were not going as well as they should and he told me I was at risk of getting permanent kidney damage. That is ME caused, I dehydrate easily, pee out all my fluids though I drink a lot

There are known deaths have occurred in many countries. Some of the most known ones have happened after the people have not been believed they are ill and have been locked up in mental health places in which they end up getting worst and later dying.

http://www.ncf-net.org/memorial.htm people need to stop thinking that this is a not serious illness, to many ME/CFS websites hide the truth that some people are dying from it. Many with ME are dying younger then the norm esp the severe patient group who I do not think there has been much done in the way of studies on this group. From what I've noticed is that those who die from this (unless it's by suicide) have usually had this illness long term eg 7 or more years (I've noticed many deaths around the 8-15 year mark of having it going by people I've known of who died over the years of some complication of it).

Most of us who have been sick a long time know of someone who has died due to this illness in some way, most of us know of at least one person who has suicide probably over this whole disease and how we get treated.. and some of us knew someone who has died of another cause of it.

I've almost been hit by a car before as I dazed out while crossing a road due to the ME and for a moment forgot I was crossing, someone else had to stop me from getting hit and on another occassion I collapsed in a public car park and someone had to stop cars to make sure I was not accidently run over. I no longer go out at all alone as it is not safe for me with my brain issues and other issues. I also have widely swinging BP (high and low) due to the ME/CFS autonomic issues.. swinging BP like this apparently in many can lead to heart failure. There is a lot of problems which can kill us, we are dying earlier than average.

 

[Cinders66]

My own feelings on this - wanting to be sensitive to the fact that the family haven’t chosen to disclose this information, is that it was more likely Suicide or other causes than direct ME caused, whilst ME can lead to death in extreme cases such as Merry Croft it’s usually after prolonged extreme struggle and although this young lady was very severe, if I’m right in believing she was the lady I saw in the recent awareness film day in the life, she could walk talk eat etc. However I saw on Facebook a reporting her health had taken a dive and I don’t know what her medication was or anything. I think sudden unexpected death in someone young with ME is very rare.

 

[Belgiangirl]

I can only speak for myself and given my blood labs and the fact that in Belgium doctors never find a necessary to disclose all information to the patient and you have to find it out yourself one way or another, I can imaging myself (being "only" mild but last time i'm going into severe unfortunately because of efforts and stressors that weren't smart now I realise while cumulating knowledge of my "possible" disease.

I myself experience:
- heart palpitations, heart arhytmias - w or wo feeling faint or dizzy in the head - bradycardia, tachycardia, ... taking betablockers if I feel like while my heart beat usually is very low (40-50) and my BP is too: a risk
- short breathedness, of different kinds and sorts: pulmonary circulation problems?? asthma attacks? often it seems like mucus all the sudden pops up in my airway or somewhere else, I mean what if you can't clear it ... it happens that I am paralysed while my heart races (+150) at night too...
- allergie attacks to foods or chemicals that can be more or less heavy
- as noted above: the problem when walking around in the traffic: that's why i haven't come outside for a forthnight... and unfortunately many times i don't, just can't walk the distance and am too faint
- immune dysfunction (low number of leukocytes): infection prone and of course that could kill you, even molds or whatever
- some renal strange things
- the fact that it is difficult to stay hydrated and a "feeded" and catch enough sleep wo killing yourself with benzo's
- accidents because of the POTS (falling the wrong way)
- muscle spasms ...
- stroke? embolism (also risk of heart arythmia's)? epileptic convulsions?
- interaction of medicins?

So yes indeed these are actually a number of risk factors associated with it now I realise...
Never one doctor pointed them really out...

But still young people are not supposed to die and if they do from whatever unknown disease this should evoke mass hysteria and panic in media untill they find the cause. The reaction now is like there is now health care.

Possibly the family just wants her to rest, is mourning, they are in shock... on the other hand the fact that she just had an article and died shortly after is so shocking to me. I can't believe it was suicide whilst she was so active in the online world. An autopsy is not that simple...
Still medically/scientifically speaking it might learn everyone a lot and actually just what she wanted: to contribute to the knowledge / rights of people with CFSME.

This is still very very unreal to me...

 

[bombsh3ll]

An autopsy is not that simple...
Still medically/scientifically speaking it might learn everyone a lot and actually just what she wanted: to contribute to the knowledge / rights of people with CFSME.

I agree, I would definitely want an autopsy if I were to pass away, for the benefit of advancing knowledge and possibly in the future helping other patients. Merryn Croft and Sophia Mirza both left a valuable legacy in this respect, they were both found to have ganglionopathy.

B xxx

 

[Jackdaw]

While I don’t know the facts in this individual case, it is not uncommon. Amongst the very severely affected there are deaths. They are often fairly young. This is something not spoken of nearly enough. But most bedbound sufferers will have lost friends or know of people who are being treated as a terminal case. This is the sharp end of ME. If you are severe or milder I don’t think much risk exists. But we shouldn’t hide from this reality.

Her family announcement said she died peacefully. She was campaigning recently. I don’t think suicide should be presumed unless stated. She was very poorly with a terrible illness.

She sounds like a great woman who fought this beast and raised awareness until the last.

 

[Belgiangirl]

Still ... if you are very severe, why no medical basic or advance life support?
Mechanical ventilation?
Would they have signed a DNR?
It keeps strange and frightening to me.

But I do remember nights, where I felt soooo tired, my breathing became shallowing, my heart poundering in my chest and ahrytmia's all the time, my throat feeling like collapsing, I thought I would not make it in the morning because my body would not sleep, but rather die from purely exhaustion and sleepshortage.
That's when I take a benzodiazepine, to calm down my body and sleep fast ... (in my mind purely because my body won't survive the fighting being so exhausted).
But in these severe cases, we are indeed clueless. :-S This should be adressed immediately, for all of us sake there should be a full equiped team with toxicologists, laborants, detectives, MD's, nurses, experts in everything that can be related to health, ... scrutinising all these people from inch to inch (hoping it won't hurt to much :-S) and their houses/environments, so we know what is going on that a young person is just not able to even care for his or herself.

Can't believe there's so much difference in help and support for MECFS and other 'recognised' diseases.
If no cure, than at least care and support! We need social assistants, dietists, nutritionists, nurses, wheelchairs, homecare, ... too.
It makes me scared. We should change that asap...... i have not anyone to take care for me (I did not look for a partner on purpose bc of this illnes), that makes it even more scary.