Donations in Tom Hennessy's name

I happened to be on LinkedIn when an update popped up. "Thomas Hennessy has a new connection," it said. Weird. Did somebody take over his account?

At any rate, it reminded me that I still need to post names of organizations that he would have liked people to donate to. Sorry for the delay. I really haven't wanted to write this.

In alphabetical order:

Immune Dysfunction Association
This Vermont-based organization raises awareness for ME, supports and advocates for Vermonters who suffer from ME and related disorders, and facilitates the education of patients, families, healthcare providers, and primary care physicians about ME.

Invest in ME
An independent UK charity that campaigns for biomedical research into ME.

The Massachusetts CFIDS/ME & FM Association
An organization that educates healthcare providers and the general public regarding myalgic encephalomyelitis and fibromyalgia.

May 12 International Awareness Day
Tom pretty much invented ME Awareness Day.

National Advocacy Alliance for ME/CFS
A network of organizations and individual advocates who engage with government officials to promote change in federal public health policies to better meet the needs of people afflicted with ME.

National CFIDS Foundation
The Foundation's objective is to fund research to find a cause for ME, expedite treatments and eventually a cure, and provide information, education, and support to people with ME. They began a fund for Tom when he was in a nursing home not long ago.

The Nightingale Research Foundation
Founded by Dr. Byron Hyde in 1988, the NRF provides technical assistance and information to healthcare professionals and researchers to help North Americans who have or are related to somebody disabled by ME.

PANDORA
Pandora does advocacy for patients with neuro-endocrine-immune diseases, including ME and chronic Lyme disease.

Wisconsin Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Association, Inc.
A nonprofit dedicated to assisting Wisconsin ME patients.

Thanks to Joni Comstock, Juliet, Pat, Lois Ventura, Erica Verrillo, and Victoria for contributing names of organizations.

Tom also had chronic Lyme disease—somehow I managed not to know this until after he died. If anybody knows of Lyme organizations Tom specifically endorsed, I'll post those too.

Guilt-free donations to the WPI

The problem with giving to charity—with any kind of do-gooding, really—is that it never feels like enough. No matter how much money, time, or effort you invested, you could have invested more. Just think of all the money, time, and effort you've put into things that only benefit you.

Charities like to take that guilt and build on it. You can't really blame them, but it's still annoying to get a ream of address labels attached to a heartfelt donation plea. Regardless of a cause's worthiness, who likes to be manipulated like that?

Though I don't officially represent any charity, I do occasionally try to persuade my readers to donate to the Whittemore Peterson Institute. Currently, WPI is the best hope for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis, fibromyalgia, Gulf War syndrome, and other neuroimmune diseases. These patients have been abandoned by just about everybody else. Not only do they suffer terribly, but many have little or no support. Friends, family, and physicians often don't take their suffering seriously.

So here's my proposition.

Click the donation button below and give some money to WPI. If you're a multibillionaire, then by all means, please feel free to donate one meeeeellion dollars. But if you're a person of slightly more modest means, give whatever you feel comfortable with. Then buy yourself that video game you wanted. I won't judge you. As far as I'm concerned, if you donate to WPI, you deserve to have nice things.