Wendy Boutilier

Wendy Boutilier, a Canadian Artist & Eco Anthropologist developed ME in 2008, following Strep Throat, Sepsis and Cervical Necrotising Fasciitis caused by a very severe infection of Streptococcus pyogenes Necrotizing Fasciitis sometimes called “flesh-eating bacteria."  Latent Virus testing showed 2 types DENV(Dengue Fever) Flaviviridae serotypes, Rubeola virus, varicella-zoster virus. She continues to suffer from moderate to severe ME leaving her disabled and 75% housebound.   She holds a Batchelor of Arts Degree in Fine Art,  Art History, Anthropology. She worked in the Caribbean, Central and South America until she became ill in Barbados in 2008 and returned to Canada in 2011.

Advocacy work
Boutilier guest blogged for Just ME on 12 May 2014 where she discussed Sophia Mirza's death, the image problem cause by the trivializing disease name and outdated psychological explanations of its etiology. She highlighted Dr. Kenny de Meirleir's work and outlined biomedical abnormalities caused by the illness. She admins on several ME Support facebook pages and is an active ME Advocate.

Art projects called Tears for ME, Blue Roses, Elephant in the Room to honour those who have lost their lives to ME. Permission is granted to be used to promote the suffering of ME, specifically on social media for May 12th Awareness Events, sponsored by the May12th.org. Advocates for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, raising awareness for the 25% Severe ME Group Charity & Severe ME Awareness day - Aug 8th.

Advocated & discussed ME with the Canadian Federal Ministery of Health after the Canadian Institute of Health Research denied a grant based on a psychological approach to the illness and that their denial cited erroneous and outdated research and urged the ministry to adopt the WHO ICC 2011 definition and diagnostic code for ME. by reminding them that Caruthers was a Canadian ME Expert.

She has also been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal several times with respect to treatment of ME. She urged the Medical Profession to remove GET & CBT since the Scientific Research Trial Study of PACE was found to lack good science. The PACE trial has been debunked. Published in Stonebird, UK on the cost of ME.

Global Advocates for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
A Founder of Global Advocates for Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (GAME), an international group of advocates dedicated to education and information about myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Learn more

 * The Faces of Sepsis - Wendy Boutilier
 * Body Count: the tragic stories of severe ME
 * http://stonebird.co.uk/Price%20of%20Myalgic%20Encephalomyelitis.pdf

Online presence

 * Artzstudio/Wendy Boutilier Facebook