tHE ROAD TO RECOVERY . . .
Erica Verrillo contracted a mild case of chronic fatigue syndrome in 1987 (swollen glands, sore throat, muscle aches, post-exertional malaise, insomnia). Her doctor believed she was having a protracted flu. The "flu" lasted for five years. As she was completing a doctorate in Speech Communication at the University of Texas at Austin in 1992, she fell severely ill with full-blown ME, typified by profound neurological impairment as well as body-wide pain. She had recently returned from a summer of field work in Guatemala, where both she and her seven-year-old daughter had suffered from intestinal parasites. After a course of treatment, Ms. Verrillo's health rapidly declined, as did that of her daughter. Within a few weeks Ms. Verrillo was forced to leave her doctoral program. Her daughter, Maya, was removed from school after her teachers reported that she was sleeping all day. In 1993 Ms. Verrillo was diagnosed with CFS by Dr. Paul Cheney. Her daughter was diagnosed with CFS by Dr. David Bell.
For eighteen months, both mother and daughter spent nearly all their time in bed. Maya, who had severe headaches, requested stories. Her mother invented a magical place for her, where a little red-headed girl could talk to animals. These stories eventually formed the basis for Ms. Verrillo's children's books, the Phoenix Rising trilogy, published by Random House.
The paucity of books about treating CFS led Ms. Verrillo to conduct her own research. Together with Lauren Gellman, who had been the vice-president of a Fortune 500 company before falling ill, they wrote the first edition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide (St. Martin's Press, 1998). As both were acutely ill - Ms.Gellman could not read due to severe vertigo, and Ms. Verrillo could not sit for more than twenty minutes - the book took two years to write. The original concept for the book was formulated through exchanging a cassette tape, which the two mailed back and forth, discussing their ideas in tandem. Like many friendships formed between people with this disabling illness, Ms. Verrillo and Ms. Gellman (who lived in New York) never met in person. The two finally met only when the book was nearly complete, by which time Ms.Verrillo had recovered well enough to travel.
Over the course of five years, both Ms. Verrillo and Ms. Gellman made remarkable recoveries. Ms. Gellman married and adopted a child. Ms.Verrillo moved to New England with her two children. Maya went back to school, and Ms. Verrillo was able to resume teaching.
In 2007 Ms. Verrillo suffered a severe relapse after taking a long course of antibiotics. But due to her relapse her interest in CFS treatments was revived. Ms. Gellman and Ms. Verrillo began to talk about revising their book, incorporating the new research that had been conducted over the twelve years since the book's publication. In the fall of 2011 Ms. Gellman proposed an electronic version of the book. Almost immediately afterward, Ms.Gellman suffered a severe relapse and Ms.Verrillo was left to continue the work on her own.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, 2nd Edition was published on September 15, 2012.
In the interests of protecting and defending the interests of people with disabilities, she did not vote for Trump.
#NotMyPresident
For eighteen months, both mother and daughter spent nearly all their time in bed. Maya, who had severe headaches, requested stories. Her mother invented a magical place for her, where a little red-headed girl could talk to animals. These stories eventually formed the basis for Ms. Verrillo's children's books, the Phoenix Rising trilogy, published by Random House.
The paucity of books about treating CFS led Ms. Verrillo to conduct her own research. Together with Lauren Gellman, who had been the vice-president of a Fortune 500 company before falling ill, they wrote the first edition of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide (St. Martin's Press, 1998). As both were acutely ill - Ms.Gellman could not read due to severe vertigo, and Ms. Verrillo could not sit for more than twenty minutes - the book took two years to write. The original concept for the book was formulated through exchanging a cassette tape, which the two mailed back and forth, discussing their ideas in tandem. Like many friendships formed between people with this disabling illness, Ms. Verrillo and Ms. Gellman (who lived in New York) never met in person. The two finally met only when the book was nearly complete, by which time Ms.Verrillo had recovered well enough to travel.
Over the course of five years, both Ms. Verrillo and Ms. Gellman made remarkable recoveries. Ms. Gellman married and adopted a child. Ms.Verrillo moved to New England with her two children. Maya went back to school, and Ms. Verrillo was able to resume teaching.
In 2007 Ms. Verrillo suffered a severe relapse after taking a long course of antibiotics. But due to her relapse her interest in CFS treatments was revived. Ms. Gellman and Ms. Verrillo began to talk about revising their book, incorporating the new research that had been conducted over the twelve years since the book's publication. In the fall of 2011 Ms. Gellman proposed an electronic version of the book. Almost immediately afterward, Ms.Gellman suffered a severe relapse and Ms.Verrillo was left to continue the work on her own.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, 2nd Edition was published on September 15, 2012.
In the interests of protecting and defending the interests of people with disabilities, she did not vote for Trump.
#NotMyPresident
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