I AM MADELINE

I'm breaking the introduction into segments in case listeners want to go back and go over any particular section more easily. One of the reasons I am posting it is a thanks to my supporters. Another is that with the reality of facing five years to see a human rights case through to fruition I'll need the GoFundMe to expand a lot. So some people might be willing to share to it based on my talent ve...

I'm breaking the introduction into segments in case listeners want to go back and go over any particular section more easily. One of the reasons I am posting it is a thanks to my supporters. Another is that with the reality of facing five years to see a human rights case through to fruition I'll need the GoFundMe to expand a lot. So some people might be willing to share to it based on my talent ve...

Feeling a bit like I can't win for losing. The meditation plus intro are roadblocked by unexpected life happenings driven by ableism and nuttiness. It's collapsing me and likely will mean I don't have enough money until May from a medical / financial stance. Doing my best to stay strong and focus on the blossoms coming. Here's a picture of the first one

My process of coming to teach meditation and my experience of the 10 years I taught, and a little of the whys and wherefores leading up to the next two episodes which will include an intro and an actual guided meditation

A little good news update. And then the rest is an exploration of the emotional and psychological harm of the post viral disease abdication (especially myalgic encephalomyelitis) inherent in the current allopathic MSP covered medical systems and the extreme developmental harm it has on children and young adults with these diseases

The upshot of my meeting with my mla about getting me proper supports and keeping me alive, probably through a case study, and a suggestion of a stopgap in the meantime. For non-canadians, MLA stands for member of legislative assembly which is my provincial representative in British Columbia. It's the first time I've used the anchor app to record, so I don't think I'll do it again. There is a slig...

Where I think the gfm money is going to stretch until march because I was told a chunk of backdated GST money was coming in on January 5th, and that's not how it's playing out. I'm scared. I did have a relatively nice holiday season All things considered. And I talk more about that. Also about a conversation on January 9th with my mla's office! But it's looking like a day late and a dollar short u...

It's my birthday week. I'm having all kinds of thoughts and feelings. Plus the latest on conversations with the government. Plus here is the link to the blog post of the article I mentioned https://disabilityalliancebc.org/article-im-fighting-to-live-but/ GFM link where I'm doing updates etc https://www.gofundme.com/f/MadelinesMiracle?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_lico+sh...

A dig down on my current treatments, as well as my experience of the difficulties of accessing them. Also, an update, the article I mentioned did get a different title, and can be found on Page 6 and 7 https://disabilityalliancebc.org/transitionfallwinter22/ . I also mentioned chatelaine article https://www.chatelaine.com/health/maid-assisted-death-poverty/ & the op-ed I wrote about a year ago htt...

(in the vein of lions and tigers and bears oh my) Oct 11 2022, update Really exhausted and cognitively impaired from advocation plus limiting treatments as I tried to save money but I did my best with this update. Sadly the free recording app I used glitched a few times, but I think the general sense is there. Far from perfect but I don't have the brain power to try to record it again and I'm sure...

This is the final instalment of The #MillionsMissing Podcast testimony from Madeline. Natalie, Diana, Rosalynde and Whitney have also shared their own, unique lived experiences of post-viral syndrome and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis with Millions Missing and each of their personal testimonies is as powerful as can be imagined. Visit the show's website or find this podcast on your favourite provider....

Madeline talks more about her quest for solutions Picture: Madeline in her red feather boa, as she tells more of the Red feather bra saga

In Part 5 of her testimony Madeline says knowing all she knows about the potential for even more severe illness and debilitation, she is scared and still without supports. Picture: One of Madeline's favourite times of year is Halloween. 

In Part 4 of her testimony to The #MissingMillions Podcast Madeline discusses how important it has been for her to engage with society and community through volunteering. Chronic illness can lead to severe social isolation, much of which could be prevented by lifting people out of poverty and providing more robust medical supports. Picture: "Like this honey bee and flower, interconnectedness and p...

Piles of paperwork, appointments, fees, circular direction from government ministries, a lack of meaningful coverage and little to no help navigating complex coverage where it's available. Living with post viral syndrome is hard enough, but without extended third-party health insurance it can be impossible. Picture: Already facing red tape and bureaucracy in Canadian healthcare and public coverage...

People with post-viral syndromes, Long Haul COVID patients, and people with #ME often describe a debilitating "brain-fog." Madeline gives us a taste of what it's like to navigate the symptoms and mechanics of mitochondrial disease while living as an "energetic person trapped in a tired person's body." Photo: Madeline in her high school production of CAST. "The play that helped me realize that perf...

Madeline continues her testimony on the #MillionsMissing podcast, discussing how the interactions and impacts of multiple systemic illnesses involved with post-viral syndrome are amplified by poverty and bias. But she reiterates, even after 40 years with #ME, she is still not defined by her disease. Photo: This photo was taken along with the first one just as her acting career seemed to be blossom...

Madeline had recently shared her story, entirely in her own words and without coaching from producers or hosts. We are honoured to share these episodes of The #MillionsMissing with our listeners. #MillionsMissing podcast podcast is "dedicated to providing a platform for the uninterrupted testimonies of people suffering from chronic illness; it's a podcast created solely for the purpose of ensuring...

Every day Madeline finds three things to be grateful for, three things she is proud to have accomplished, and three things that validate her emotions. On August 14th, 2021, she recorded an update for our listeners and this is an addendum to that update that she hopes will leave you inspired and grateful.

Madeline has been working on recording her story, in her own words, for a shared episode with the Missing Millions Podcast but her plummeting energy, increasing pain, and never-ending bureaucracy have been slowing the process. In this episode she shares an honest update with you, dear listeners, because she hasn't stopped fighting for her life or the lives of countless other invisible, silenced, s...

"If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." said the world's most famous miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, of those in poverty, before his Christmas Eve enlightenment. Now, in 2021, the Canadian government has introduced a basic income for people with disabilities. It won't be law until it's likely far too late for Madeline and others with chronic illness or disa...

We're a small team, so when things get tough it's important we don't overdo it. Thanks for staying with us over our impromptu break: Episode 5 is coming soon.

Madeline faces an impossible situation, and she’s not the only one. Poverty is forcing people into assisted death as Canada opens its medically assisted death laws to more people without ensuring the alternatives are in place for vulnerable people.

Madeline isn't just fighting a debilitating disease. She's up against a system that legislates her into poverty and denies access to the only treatment that works. Transcripts: IamMadeline.com Twitter: @IamMADELINEpod Donate: Madeline's GoFundMe Bonus episodes: Patreon

Madeline’s disease has long been dismissed as “hysteria” a broad and harmful quasi-medical designation that was listed in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders in 1968 and removed in 1980. Millions of ME sufferers have been dismissed with this so-called diagnosis, which is drawn from a lack of evidence and extreme bias.