MECFS Canterbury

17/05/2026

Thanks for joining us for Blue Sunday!

If you’re able remind guests and absent whānau to donate the price they’d pay at a cafe to help ME/CFS Canterbury / West Coast continue to provide vital services to people with ME/CFS and Long Covid in our area:

We rely on grants and donations to fund our services because we do not currently receive any funding from the government's Health budget.

12/05/2026

Watch time: 4mins 34sec

The World ME Alliance has created a Medical Education Hub, a free global resource designed to improve healthcare professional understanding of ME/CFS through evidence-based education, clinical guidelines and practical tools for diagnosis and care.

https://worldmealliance.org/medical-education-hub/

12/05/2026

ME/CFS Canterbury and West Coast provides vital support, advocacy, and information for people living with / and their whānau across Canterbury and the West Coast.

We offer peer support, educational resources, social connection, advocacy for better care, and access to a clinical and support team who understands the challenges of this disabling condition.

As a small charity, we rely heavily on donations to continue providing these essential services – we receive no government funding.

With no cure or universal treatment, people with ME/CFS often face isolation, stigma, and a lack of medical support. Your donation helps us be there for them.

Every dollar makes a difference.

https://www.mecfscanterbury.nz/donate

12/05/2026

You know that feeling when you’re exhausted after a big day?
When you have Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) that can come from something as simple as a shower.


With ME/CFS, doing too much doesn’t just make you tired.
It can make you sicker.


It can feel like your body suddenly crashes.
Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM) feels like lead limbs, brain on fire, crushing fatigue, dizziness, flu-like symptoms
Sometimes not functioning at all.


It’s easy to compare it to burnout or exhaustion.
But this is different.
It’s an energy system that’s broken at a cellular level.


With ME/CFS the body cannot produce or sustain reliable energy.
Daily energy limits can be a moving target.
What’s manageable one day, may cause a crash the next.


With ME/CFS the body will shut down if pushed.
Rest is non-negotiable.



Pacing is how people with ME/CFS live within these limits.
Balancing activity and rest, constantly calculating,
adapting and stopping before the body forces you to.


It’s a life shaped by limits you may not always see…
But feel, every single day.

That’s really hard.


You don’t have to fully understand ME/CFS to support someone who has it.
But listening, believing and choosing your words with care
can make a hard reality feel a little less heavy.


Read. Reflect. Share.

12/05/2026

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is not simply feeling tired.

For many people with this illness, ordinary everyday tasks can come with extraordinary physical consequences.

A shower. A grocery trip. A conversation. A school event.

Things most people don’t need to recover from can leave someone with ME/CFS significantly worse for days, weeks, or even longer.

This is called Post-Exertional Malaise (PEM), the hallmark symptom of ME/CFS.

On World ME Day, we ask people to understand:
ME/CFS is a serious, life-altering, complex chronic illness.

11/05/2026