Walktober ME Fundraiser: A Day to Walk for You.

Welcome to Greg Kroleski's "Walktober ME Fundraiser - A Day to Walk for You," a 24-hour walk that will raise critical funds to help #MEAction fight for research funding, medical education, and public recognition of myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) so that, one day, people with ME will have support and access to compassionate and effective care. Greg is walking for people with ME, the #MillionsMissing from their lives because of this devastating and debilitating disease. 

Check out the Official Walktober ME Fundraiser Video and hear from Greg and#MEAction staff!

Greg Kroleski is a lifelong long-distance runner who has recently decided to use that gift to help others by raising awareness for ME and support for research to help those suffering from it. He became aware of the condition when a family member struggled for years to receive a diagnosis and treatment plan. He wants to help raise awareness and support research so that others do not have to suffer the same.

In 2020 he set a company record during Google's annual walking contest by logging 187,000 steps in a single day (covering almost 90 miles). In 2021 he aims to take the record even higher during this Walktober ME Fundraiser, a 24-hour run at his local track. How many steps can he get between midnight and midnight? 200K? 220K? Follow along to find out!

#MEAction is an international network of patients fighting for health equality for ME. We were founded with the belief that while we may find it difficult to advocate for ourselves in the physical world, by making our activism accessible, we can be an unstoppable force.

The Mission of #MEAction is to build a global movement of patients, families, and allies that leverages the power of technology and community to fight for research funding, medical education, and public awareness for ME. Our Vision is to create a world where all people with ME have support and access to compassionate and effective care.

ME, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, is a complex chronic disease that presents with symptoms in multiple body systems. A neurological disease according to the World Health Organization, susceptibility may be genetic, but the disease is triggered by an infection in most patients. ME may be severe: 75% of those affected are unable to work and 25% are homebound or bedridden. An estimated 15-30 million people worldwide suffer from ME. There is no single laboratory test that can diagnose ME and no approved treatments.

Whether you are a person with ME, a caregiver, healthcare provider, or researcher, #MEAction has a variety of resources to meet your needs. Just click on the links below.

• People with ME
• Caregivers
• Healthcare Providers
• Researchers

You might also be interested in learning more about:

• Research: To help generate better care for a quicker diagnosis of ME and other chronic, often post-infectious diseases like hEDS, POTS, MCAS, and Long COVID, #MEAction designed and launched the Symptom Cluster Characterization in Complex Chronic Disease Research Study, which will identify aspects of disease presentation that are well understood by patients, but not as well understood by the clinicians who see them and the researchers who want to learn more.
• Long COVID and ME: #MEAction created several resources to educate about the important connection between Long COVID and ME.

With nearly six years of experience advocating for ME research, education, and public awareness, #MEAction has accomplished a tremendous amount. Your support of Greg's Walktober ME Fundraiser will help us achieve even more!

• We helped organize annual #MillionsMissing events in almost 100 locations, reaching over 70,000 ME patients and expanding recognition of this disease around the world.
• We brought Sundance's award-winning documentary Unrest, featuring #MEAction Co-Founder Jennifer Brea, to Capitol Hill. We sent the film to every congressional staffer, mobilized thousands of constituents, cultivated new allies in Washington, and ultimately, helped to pass Senate Resolution 225, which expressed support for International ME Awareness Day.
• We put pressure on US federal agencies, resulting in a historic meeting with NIH Director Francis Collins where we asked for bold leadership for ME; disease-specific, multi-year Request for Applications and investigator-initiated funding opportunities; and a strategic plan that is comprehensive, fully funded, cross-institute, and outcome-driven.
• In the face of COVID-19, we developed educational seminars for clinicians and long haulers, organized new medical screenings of Unrest, and garnered press from numerous major outlets like The Washington Post, Time, and The Atlantic on the possible connections and lessons of COVID-19 and ME.