CFS Photo Exhibit Will Debut at Largest Mall in the U.S.

So far, the traveling CFS photo exhibit, “The Faces of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” has only been seen by health care professionals at medical conferences. The exhibit will make its debut in a public venue at the Mall of America in Minneapolis from August 6-15.

The CFIDS Association was able to schedule the public unveiling of the photos at the largest mall in the United States during back-to-school time, when mall traffic is especially high! With 520 stores, the Mall of America has more than 4.2 million square feet of indoor space and attracts more than 43 million visitors each year. Mall officials estimate that approximately one million people will visit the mall during the 10-day period that the CFS photo exhibit is on display. Signs throughout the mall and table-top notices in the Food Court will direct visitors to the exhibit.

The photo exhibit features portraits and accompanying quotes from eight patients and two CFS experts to educate viewers about the illness, its life-altering impact and the importance of seeking diagnosis and treatment.

The portraits, taken by well-known fashion and celebrity photographer George Lange, are both compelling and dramatic, printed on banners that tower over visitors and give them a glimpse of ordinary people whose lives have been impacted by CFS.

The photo exhibit will be promoted through articles in local, state and regional media outlets. Whenever possible, we’ll let readers know in advance of upcoming articles or news stories, so visit http://www.cfids.org/sparkcfs/photo.asp frequently throughout the coming weeks to stay abreast of media coverage surrounding this event.

The photo exhibit is part of a national CFS public awareness campaign sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the CFIDS Association of America. We are busy scheduling places where the exhibit will appear and will post that information as details are finalized at http://www.cfids.org/sparkcfs/photo.asp.