ME/CFS Group (Canterbury) Inc

Established in 1985, MECFS Canterbury is a small community health and clinical service organisation providing support, advocacy and education for people living with the debilitating illness ME/CFS, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

There are an estimated 2,800 people with ME/CFS in Canterbury, with 390 of them being young people and children. Thousands more have experienced long COVID as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

ME/CFS is a serious long-term illness that researchers are finding involves an abnormal physiological response to exercise, altered immune function, and impaired energy production. There is a fluctuating spectrum of symptom severity, with many people being house-bound, and the most severely affected are bed-bound.

Most people with ME/CFS are unable to work, are socially isolated, and do not have access to adequate financial, home and mobility supports through existing health and welfare systems. Many doctors are still catching up with the latest understanding of ME/CFS. This illness is long term, with no cure, no definitive diagnostic test, and limited treatment. Research shows that the quality of life for someone living with ME/CFS is the poorest of those studied.

MECFS Canterbury provides a variety of services including:

✦ In-person and online Group Support & Education Meetings for people with ME/CFS and their whānau

✦ An online Support Group that enables connections and information sharing amongst peers

✦ Our Registered Nurse Service provides individual support for: obtaining a diagnosis; symptom management; advocacy with GPs, Work and Income, and others; referrals to allied health and other external supportive services

✦ Resources, such as our regular newsletter and access to our library

✦ Education events and information for health professionals.