Matthew's Story

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 both mainstream and alternative treatments, resulting in frustration and often exacerbating symptoms. In 2005 I successfully responded to the adolescent Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program run by Dr Lionel Lubitz and this inspired my mother 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 course.

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 symptoms I missed more than three hundred days of school over a four-year period. It felt like I lived my life in a constant state of ‘payback’; payback being Post-Exertional Malaise. This payback would see my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome symptoms worsen for an extended period of time, sometimes for as long as a week and be caused by simply trying to do normal activities like go to the movies, football or even just general socialising. 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 letterbox was an arduous task. The time when I could study was further limited by the significant cognitive impairment I had to deal with because of 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. I finished 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.

Like most other Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers, my family and I explored many different and diverse treatment options over the six years I had the condition. We visited a variety of practitioners, both mainstream medical and alternative medicine with very little success. On a majority of occasions the treatments undertaken only resulted in exacerbating my symptoms. However 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 the fatigue, lethargy and muscle aches/pains. 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 continued to improve to the point where I was not limited either physically or cognitively.

The Chronic Fatigue Syndrome program sparked my determination to develop a similar program to assist and support others that are living with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. With the support of my family and encouragement from my Paediatrician, who developed the adolescent program, the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Recovery Program was born. More than five years after establishing the CFSRP I am proud to look back at all of the people that we have been able to help and look forward to being able to help more into the future.