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My mother Mary and I founded the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Recovery Program (CFSRP). I waged a six-year battle with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that involved exploring treatments, both mainstream and alternative, resulting in frustration and often exacerbating symptoms. In 2005 I successfully responded to the adolescent Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program run by Dr Lionel Lubitz, this inspired Mary and I to deliver a program that would help and offer hope to as many Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers as possible.
I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. Like most young children, I enjoyed living a very active lifestyle. When I wasn’t at school, I spent most of my time in the cricket nets or on the golf driving range.
Unfortunately I contracted Varicella (Chicken Pox) at twelve years of age which subsequently developed into ‘Post Viral Syndrome’. My Post Viral symptoms of extreme tiredness, lethargy and recurrent headaches never abated and after six months of these symptoms I was diagnosed as having Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Due to my worsening Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms, I missed more than three hundred days of school over a four year period. After missing so much of my schooling from Years Seven to Ten, I had no choice but to enrol at the Distance Education Centre for Victoria (DECV) to complete my Year Eleven and Twelve VCE years at home.
Completing my secondary education at home was an incredibly difficult task. I spent most of my time lying on the couch or sleeping in bed because to me, the simple act of walking to the letter box was an arduous task. The time when I could study was further limited by the cognitive impairment that I suffered due to my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. This forced me to complete as much work as possible in small ten to fifteen minute blocks once or twice a day, on a good day.
I completed my secondary studies and successfully completed the VCE with four Year Twelve subjects over a two year period instead of the usual five or six subjects over one year.
During my time with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , doing normal activities like going to the movies, going to the football or general socialising would result in an extreme form of “payback”. “Payback” being Post-Exert ional Malaise that would see my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms worsen for an extended period of time, sometimes for as long as a week.
Throughout the six years that I suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , like most other Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers, my family and I explored many different and diverse treatment options. We visited a variety of practitioners, both main stream medical and alternative medicine, with very little success. On a majority of occasions, the treatments undertaken only resulted in exacerbating my symptoms.
After more than six years of searching for a solution to my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , my parents discovered that a successful rehabilitation program for adolescents was being conducted at a hospital in Melbourne. I entered this program in April 2005 and by the end of its four weeks, had responded successfully by eliminating the vast majority of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms including; fatigue, lethargy, muscle aches/pains and memory/concentration. The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program gave me back my life. The change during the four week period was dramatic. After completing the program in May 2005, I have continued to improve and now function at close to my full physical/mental capacity.
The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program sparked my determination to develop a similar program to assist and support fellow Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers. With the support of my family and encouragement from my Paediatrician, who developed the adolescent program, the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Recovery Program was born.
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