Valerie Free

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  • Home
  • About The Book
    • Book cover, Illustrations and Cadence
    • A Book Born Of Questions
    • Publishing and Pricing
    • Who Is This Book For?
  • Buy Now
  • Reviews
  • About The Author
  • Press & Media
  • Gallery
  • More Writing
  • Contact

Press & Media

Reviews and Interviews for Lighting Up A Hidden World


Bearing Witness for ME/CFS – Valerie Free Lights Up A Hidden World: Pt. I Valerie’s Story
by Cort Johnson | Dec 27, 2017  
Featured on Health Rising - Finding Answers for ME/CFS and FM​
"Everything You Need to Know About Chronic Fatigue Syndrome"
An introduction to “Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME”
psychologytoday.com
Toni Bernhard interview with Valerie Free
​
"Lighting Up a Hidden World"
medium.com
​Dr. Chris Carruthers interview with Valerie Free on February 2, 2017
Author hopes tell-all novel brings light to one disease’s Hidden World
The Leduc Rep - by Bobby Roy
Friday, November 11, 2016
www.leducrep.com

#BedFest 2017 - Valerie Free reading excerpts from her book,
 Lighting Up a Hidden World

#BedFest 2017 was a great festival to be a part of. Have a look at the other contributing artists on their website at www.bedfest.meaction.net
​Click on each artist's name to view their work.

Interview of Valerie Free by Christopher Sheetz of 630 CHED Radio about Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME
Oct 9, 2016 - YouTube parts 1 and 2
Part 1 : https://youtu.be/ckJQPP-9PjQ
Part 2: https://youtu.be/iaKQO_evlCU 

Foreword Clarion Book Review - 5 out of 5 Stars for
​Lighting Up a Hidden World - Read the whole review here. 
Book Review by Journalist Llewellyn King, Washington DC.
ME/CFS Alert series - October 17, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az9TIlBLK6E

Ryan Prior, creator of the Forgotten Plague documentary, comments about the role Valerie Free and Lighting Up a Hidden World played in inspiring the making of this documentary about ME/CFS. 

​"Author Valerie Free was a huge inspiration for making Forgotten Plague. Without her, it's safe to say, the film would not exist. Her book, Lighting Up a Hidden World, is coming out this month. It will be great! We've often imagined a co-marketing campaign in which people hand out Forgotten Plague DVDs and copies of this book together. As a package, the written word complements the visuals in the film in a great, cohesive way. 
As renowned author, Toni Bernhard, has said, 'I expect this book to have a worldwide impact'."
​
Ryan Prior, Forgotten Plague Documentary  - June 17, 2016

"Canadian writer Valerie Free is releasing an important new book on this disease called "Lighting Up a Hidden World." Valerie is important to us because she is potentially the singular reason Forgotten Plague ever got made at all. Her willingness to spend hours talking with us and with many others behind the scenes has sparked not just Forgotten Plague and the Blue Ribbon Foundation, but numerous advocacy and awareness-building projects. Though she has kept a low profile for many years, she has long been an influential and well-connected member connecting the dots in the global ME/CFS community. Now she is moving into the public light with a book that reflects her years of careful and meticulous research. Her book features her own story of dealing with the disease and includes essays featuring Dr. David Bell, Dr. Daniel Peterson, and many others. Her book will be an indispensable resource for patients, caregivers, advocates, scientists, and researchers interested in ME and CFS. According to renowned author Toni Bernhard, 'I expect this book to have worldwide impact'." 

Ryan Prior, Forgotten Plague Documentary  -  May 2016 

To learn more about Forgotten Plague and the Blue Ribbon Foundation visit Facebook ​@CFSDocumentary

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#MEAction - NEW ME/CFS BOOK: LIGHTING UP A HIDDEN WORLD



​PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


AN ILLNESS DENIED FOR DECADES IS EXPOSED
New Book Reveals Surprising Realities of a Hidden Condition
  


[Alberta, CA – September 29, 2016] Despite millions of people worldwide who are suffering with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) – now also known as ME/CFS – doubt remains about the true nature of the illness by those within politics, medicine and society. The long-term dismissal and disbelief have resulted in devastating consequences: Thousands of people have fallen through the cracks of our health care system – many too ill to fight for their right to appropriate care and medical resources. 
Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME, a new book by Valerie Free, speaks out for those too ill to do so. It is a call to health care providers, the general public, and anyone who continues to ignore the seriousness and severity of the disease.

In July of 1990, Free came down with a sudden, flu-like illness, and after months of unrelenting and bizarre symptoms, she was diagnosed with CFS. Through years of personal experience and research, she gained the insight and knowledge that has aided her in writing Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME.

“Everyone who has read even portions of the book has been interested in the fascinating history and politics of ME and CFS; has been surprised by the facts regarding the lack of research funding; and has been deeply moved by the original poetry and captivating first-hand perspectives from within the ME/CFS community,” Free said. 

Dr. David Bell, an ME/CFS expert, was one of the first doctors to see a sudden influx of patients in the 1980’s who presented with an illness he had never seen before. The illness was later named chronic fatigue syndrome. Dr. Bell wrote:

“Valerie Free has managed the nearly impossible. She has brought together descriptions and patient stories that convey what the world has refused to believe – that ME/CFS is not only real, but it is a nightmare that rivals hell itself and continues to be dismissed as a trivial neurosis by educated physicians who should have moved beyond this twenty years ago.”

Free also gives resources for the people who live with ME/CFS and other chronic conditions, as well as for those who want to participate in the global search for solutions. 

Lighting Up a Hidden World: CFS and ME is available for order from FriesenPress Bookstore, Amazon, and most other major online book retailers. The e-book edition will follow shortly for order from GooglePlay and iTunes.

About the Author

Valerie Free continues to navigate life within the limitations that ME/CFS imposes while holding a clear vision of health and well-being for everyone affected by illnesses that are off the grid of care and cure. She resides on an acreage with her family in Alberta, Canada.
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Please contact Valerie Free with any media inquiries. 


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