Public Who shall we nominate for the 2018 CNN Hero Award?

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cnn.heroes/2018/nominations/

Next years nominations are open.

The visibility of gaining a top ten slot and also the final winner of the prestigious CNN Heroes Award would be a huge win for ME awareness. Who would you like to see in the public spotlight that could best advocate for ME? I will set up a more complete poll when I gain your feedback. I would like to get the other forums involved too; collectively we could all work on a common goal.

Here are a few names, but the list is not complete:

 

David Tuller?

Alem Matthees?

 

great idea.

does this thrust an obligation on a candidate or winner?

 

The winner will be thrust into the public spotlight, so this may translate into requests for interviews and TV appearances. They also get to spend $100K, which I assume would lead to accountability if CNN broadcast a followup segment.

 

This is a hard one to choose, but i picked Dr Davis because the money would go into research, and he is a scientist who can answer technical ME/CFS questions on air (even better press)
That said there are many great candidates here, David Tuller was the first name i thought of.

 

Personally, I'd like to see Alem recognised more, for what he achieved and for what it cost him, but I'm not sure this would be the best thing to nominate him for. Not that it isn't a good idea, just probably not the best for him.

 

I agree, though perhaps we should ask him if he wants to be nominated given the costs/rewards if he wins the poll?

 

If I remember right didn't his sister-in-law respond via Twitter to recent discussion of him?

 

I have no idea

 

I hadn't even thought of anything like that. Probably should have done so before casually chucking names out.

 

I wouldn't classify Lipkin, Montoya or Mark Davis in the hero category. They are researchers / doctors doing great work but I don't think i could call them hero's.

I would have to put Ron Davis and Maureen Hanson in a similar category, great researchers who I have tremendous respect for and admire so much. They are doing great work inspired by their loved ones and I am so glad they are involved.

So for me it comes down to Jen, David or Alem.
All worthy winners.

I give my vote to David because he is doing this not as a patient, but as soneone who cares about injustice, and speaking up for right over wrong.
And I think the open letters are probably the best thing we have to wave in the face of Sir Simon and The Lancet.

 

No worries, no harm done

 

I would say Alem, but thinking strategically I would say Jen. She is more visible right now than anyone else and can capitalise on it for all of us. More likely to gain votes if we are serious about this. Strategy.

There's no doubt Alem deserves an award.

@Graham has been in contact with his family in the past

 

David gets my vote too for the same reasons

 

I love everyone on this list but I'm missing Ryan Prior. He's working there.

 

I agree Alem should definitely win something, he’s my personal hero. I like Rons approach its refreshing and worthy of some recognition. But I agree that Jen is the strategic choice, she has the public profile and is more likely to get support. I do wish she would repurpose some of the Unrest foootage and make a 5 min ME explainer video, or even a series of videos...

 

I've said Alem Matthees because in many ways he has been a primary game changer, but I'm aware that if he won then the publicity might actually be harmful to him, which none of us would want of course. If not Alem, then I'm torn between David Tuller and Jen Brea.