Whitney Dafoe

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Revision as of 14:49, September 17, 2020 by Notjusttired (talk | contribs) (→‎After the release of Unrest: subheadings)
Whitney before becoming ill with ME

Whitney Dafoe is the son of Dr. Ronald Davis and Dr. Janet Dafoe and is severely affected by myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

Prior to becoming very severely ill, Dafoe was an adventurer who loved photography and traveled extensively. His journeys took him to all 50 states, India, Nepal, and Ecuador.[1]

Unrest[edit | edit source]

Whitney has a very severe form of ME. He can no longer speak nor handle contact with anyone but his parents due to visual dysfunction

Whitney Dafoe was one of several patients with severe ME who featured in the film Unrest, which also included interviews with his mother, psychologist Dr Janet Dafoe, and his father, scientist and researcher Dr Ron Davis.

After the release of Unrest[edit | edit source]

After the release of the movie Unrest, public interest in Whitney Dafoe increased, with Google suggesting people search frequently searching for his obituary or death - despite the fact he remains alive despite being so severely ill[2] - as well as seeking information about Ativan, also known as Lorazepam, a drug that was shown to briefly help him in Unrest.[3] In summer 2019, Whitney finally met ME advocate and film maker Jennifer Brea.[3]

In December 2019, at Whitney's request, his sister Ashley Haugen, created a twitter account for him, followed by a Facebook page in January 2020.[2][4]

Improvement in health[edit | edit source]

In June 2020, Whitney posted on Facebook to say that he was experiencing what seemed to be a temporary improvement, and was able to write and communicate using his cell phone briefly.[5] He stated that he didn't know the reason for the improvement, but it may have been linked to an increased dose of Cortef (hydrocortisone) or Abilify (aripiprazole).[5]

Online presence[edit | edit source]

See also[edit | edit source]

Learn more[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. Archibald, Timothy (2016). "The puzzle solver". Stanford Medicine. Retrieved January 20, 2020. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Whitney Dafoe (@DafoeWhitney) | Twitter". www.twitter.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Brea, Jennifer (June 3, 2019). "Meeting Whitney". Medium. Retrieved January 20, 2020. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  4. "Whitney Dafoe". www.facebook.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Dafoe, Whitney (June 11, 2020). "Whitney Dafoe". www.facebook.com. Retrieved June 23, 2020. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  6. Dafoe, Whitney (July 10, 2015). "Invisible Illness - Stories of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome". YouTube. Palo Alto Online. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  7. Tucker, Miriam (October 5, 2015). "With his son terribly ill, a top scientist takes on chronic fatigue syndrome". Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2018. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  8. "Scientist dad searches for cure for sick son, Newshour - BBC World Service". BBC. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2018. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  9. Tucker, Miriam (November 4, 2015). "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Gains Funding, And Controversy". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved October 13, 2018. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  10. White, Tracie (2016). "The puzzle solver". Stanford Medicine. Retrieved October 13, 2018. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  11. Land, Stephanie (March 24, 2016). "Therein Lies your Calling". Stepville. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  12. Dafoe, Whitney (May 2, 2016). "Whitney Dafoe Palo Alto Online 2015 video - short". YouTube. Mary Dimmock. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  13. Land, Stephanie (October 24, 2016). "The Love of a Thousand Muskoxen: Grieving a Love Lost to Time and Sickness". Longreads. Retrieved October 13, 2018. Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help); no-break space character in |title= at position 66 (help)