Member Spotlight
We believe in the power of shared stories and the strength found in community, and we invite our members to shine a light on their unique journeys through their experiences with chronic illness. Whether it’s a tale of resilience, creativity, or newfound purpose, your story can inspire and connect with others facing similar challenges. We encourage you to reach out to us if you’re interested in being featured or if you have an idea for a special feature; simply email our Membership Administrator at Membership@MassMECFS.org and let us celebrate your vision together.
July 2025: Book by Elizabeth Glixman
“Then: A Conversation With Myself” by Elizabeth P. Glixman
Elizabeth P. Glixman is a long-time member of MassME. She received a BFA from the school of the Worcester Art Museum and Clark University where she also received a Master’s Degree in Education. When she was diagnosed with ME/CFS twenty-six years ago, she turned to writing and art to deal with the changes in her life. Writing and the visual arts had always been her healers. She has published poetry and short stories in many online and print magazines. For Elizabeth, living with an illness that no one knew how to treat brought up intense feelings and questions about life. “Then” was a way to communicate her experience to herself and others. Read the book>>
KIM MOY: Caregiver Wisdom
I’m Kim Moy and my ME/CFS care partner journey began about 20 years ago. When we first met, my husband had mild ME/CFS. Then it became severe about a dozen years ago, forcing him to spend most of his day in bed. While caring for him, I’ve raised our two children and worked in demanding corporate roles. Simultaneously, I also shared caregiving duties for my parents during their final years. My mother had Alzheimer’s and died of COVID, and my father passed shortly after her. In 2023, I launched Caregiver Wisdom to expand this support system with community, coaching, and content. Current offerings include a weekly email newsletter, the monthly support group, group coaching programs, one-on-one coaching, blog posts, and more. Coninue reading >>
BETH HARRIS: Keeping perspective after Long COVID
Before her illness Beth led an active and creative life. Growing up in Florida she enjoyed sports and was an avid swimmer. She was an artist who enjoyed using different mediums such as painting, sculpture, working with metal, and printmaking. She went to college in Georgia and became a cartographer which offered an outlet for her artistry. She lived in California and Hawaii before moving to Massachusetts to be near her daughter who was starting her family. Her five adopted grandchildren became a major focus of Beth’s life as she helped to raise them. She took care of them if they were sick, had them for overnights, and taught them to swim. Beth would cook family meals and host large holiday dinners. Continue reading >>
GRETCHEN DUNOYER: Just keep moving into the light.
This has been my mantra for years, and although I’m not always able to sustain this, I know the light is always there, even when symptoms overtake my mind and body. I was bitten by a tick in the summer of 2002. I never saw the bite, but in the midst of a lovely summer, I became violently ill with high fever, extreme body aches, pain on the bottom of my feet making it difficult to walk, dizziness, bedridden. The acuity of the illness let up after a few weeks, but a bevy of odd symptoms began emerging and building over the coming months. By 2004 the convergence of symptoms combined with my tenacious will to keep living my life as fully as I had (working, raising children, exercising, community and social involvement, travel) brought my life to a screeching halt, and I was forced to adapt to what doctors called “chronic fatigue syndrome.” Continue reading>>