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The fight against ME/CFS: Bettina's harrowing story from Hard
Bettina Todorovic lives with ME/CFS, a serious illness. She reports on her challenges and the fight for recognition.
The fight against ME/CFS: Bettina's harrowing story from Hard
In Vorarlberg, Bettina Todorovic suffers from the extremely stressful illness myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), which is often triggered by viral diseases such as COVID-19. Her everyday life has been severely restricted for more than a year; even the simplest actions such as showering or brushing her teeth are an enormous challenge for the 48-year-old. “It feels like I’m trapped in a cage,” says Bettina, describing the reality of her life. The symptoms of ME/CFS significantly reduce the quality of life and make them almost completely dependent on help. Despite the severe impairments, she visits doctors regularly, which is beyond her strength and requires days of recovery, as she said in an interview VOL.AT describes.
Bettina fell ill with COVID-19 again and noticed that her performance had dropped drastically. “I was so tired after work that I would rather sleep than eat,” she explains. It is frustrating that their applications for rehabilitation and care allowance have been rejected and many people, including those in public authorities, have difficulty understanding the seriousness of their illness. “We feel let down,” said her husband Nenad, emphasizing that there are no sufficient support offers for ME/CFS patients in Vorarlberg. He calls for more research and attention to this disease so that those affected finally receive the recognition and help they need.
A look at people suffering from dementia
In a different context, the well-known presenter Bettina Tietjen discussed her father's dementia in her book “Laughed with Tears” and noted that such illnesses are often associated with stigma and a lack of information. Her book describes both the difficult moments and the moments of laughter that she experienced with her father. “There is a lot of fear of contact because relatives often first try to master the situation within their own four walls,” says Tietjen in an interview KIEL LIFE. She hopes that her work, which is a tribute to her father, will be both informative and encouraging to those affected and their families.