Vanessa Li



Vanessa Yeuk Lin Li (1981-2015) was notable for her work in founding the crowdfunding campaign for the Microbe Discovery Project.

Life
Vanessa lived in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Illness
Vanessa first became ill with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) during a family ski trip in the Italian Alps as a college student where she caught a flu and never recovered. "She spent the next 15 years wracked by piercing migraines, chronic pain, breathing issues, and occasional paralysis."

Microbe Discovery Project
Vanessa was a founder of the Microbe Discovery Project crowdfunding campaign.

Death
In a February 16, 2015 Facebook Post post by Vanessa's family, the ME/CFS community learned that Vanessa took her own life by taking an overdose of sleeping pills and donated her body to medical research for ME/CFS.

Legacy
Vanessa's youngest brother, Julian Li, produced a video montage of Vanessa's life story.

Dr. Mady Hornig and Dr. Ian Lipkin said of Vanessa's passing, "There are no words to express how [we] feel on learning of the tragic loss of Vanessa Li. Vanessa was the driving force behind the crowd funding campaign for the Microbe Discovery Project."

Her co-founders at the Microbe Discovery Project crowdfunding campaign:

"On February the 4th 2015 our dear friend and colleague Vanessa Li passed away. There has been a cascade of condolences and messages as this community processes the loss of a person who touched so many people. Vanessa founded this crowdfunding project and this team has worked closely and intensely for over a year. Through all the ups and downs of working in a team trying to achieve something we care about we have got to know each other quite well. We are still in shock over this loss and we miss her."

Online presence

 * Vanessa Li Memorial Video
 * In memory of Vanessa Yeuk Lin Lik - Facebook Page

Learn more

 * Oct 8, 2015, The Tragic Neglect of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome