CFIDS Association president and CEO K. Kimberly McCleary

From the Desk of K. Kimberly McCleary

July 2007

My mother has Parkinson’s, and 17 years into her diagnosis, she has limited mobility and stamina. So one of her favorite ways to spend time together is flipping through photo albums and boxes of mementos, recalling events and people from the past and wandering casually down memory lane.

As our staff and board began documenting the 20 years of Association history earlier this year, I was reminded of my mom’s favorite pastime. Over the past few months I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading back issues of the Chronicle and past years’ annual reports, sifting through files for specific documents, sorting pictures from conferences, meetings and special events. With 16 years of my own history with the organization, I’m enjoying sharing stories of turning points, memorable events and inspiring individuals with those newer to the community. It’s reminded me how much I’ve changed over this time and how much working as a member of this community has changed me.

In the spring CFIDS Chronicle and a special edition CFIDSLink e-mailed on June 20, we announced that we’ll commemorate shared CFS history and progress—the people, organizations and events that are the force behind the effort to make CFS a thing of the past. Read our special tribute to Organizations Making History in this edition and look for more articles in the CFIDSLink, the Chronicle and a special publication we’ll mail to members and donors this fall. I hope you’ll join us for all the coverage of this 20th year of service, becoming a member of the Association or making a deductible contribution to support its work.

With thanks,

K. Kimberly McCleary
President & CEO
The CFIDS Association of America