In 2005, the same year I got ill with an unknown viral infection from which I failed to recover, a council of The Ministry of Health in The Netherlands claimed biomedical research into myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) was needed. The Minister of Health, Welfare and Sports at that time, Hans Hoogervorst, decided differently.
Thirteen years later, on March 19th 2018, a
report by a new council expressed the same urgent message that biomedical research and treatment was urgently needed for ME. Last December, the current Minister of Medical Care, Bruno Bruins,
stated that he would be following up on all accounts.
And today, exactly a year after this second report was made public, I am wondering what his promise can possibly mean? What can this mean to someone who cannot imagine a life without dealing with symptoms, no disability allowance, and other uncertainties. I am that someone, I have to deal with ME and I can no longer close my eyes and pretend I am not ill.
