Forgotten Plague



Forgotten Plague is a 2015 documentary film about Ryan Prior, an ME/CFS patient and journalist and his journey to understand the disease.

Plot
Ryan Prior’s life imploded October 22, 2006, when he was struck down by a disease that dozens of doctors were powerless to diagnose, let alone treat. Against great odds, he becomes a reporter and ventures to tell the story of his suffering and improbable recovery. He is shocked that millions globally remain sidelined by the same disease, many bedridden for decades.

Forgotten Plague is a journey into the hidden world of myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome). It is a chilling tale of our medical system’s failures in addressing many chronic, complex diseases. Yet it is also a riveting story of science’s remarkable ability to transform medicine and improve human life itself.

IMDB Page: An afflicted journalist embarks on a quest to find out why the CDC and medical system have neglected his disease and left millions sidelined from life.

Interviews in documentary

 * David Tuller - New York Times, UC Berkeley
 * Ian Lipkin, MD - Columbia University
 * Jose Montoya, MD - Stanford University
 * Anthony Komaroff, MD - Harvard University
 * Michael VanElzakker, PhD - Tufts University
 * Leonard Jason, PhD - DePaul University
 * Lori Chapo-Kroger, RN - Pandora Org
 * Derek Enlander, MD - Mt. Sinai Hospital
 * Hillary Johnson - Author of Osler's Web: Inside the Labyrinth of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
 * Roger King - Former Economist for U.N. Agencies and Author of Love and Fatigue in America
 * Linda Tannenbaum - Open Medicine Foundation
 * Andreas Kogelnik, MD, PhD - Open Medicine Institute
 * David Kaufman, MD - Open Medicine Institute
 * Ronald Davis, PhD - Director, Stanford Genome Technology Research Center and Open Medicine Foundation Collaborator
 * Ashley Davis - Director, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Center at Stanford University
 * Staci Stevens, MS - Director, Workwell Foundation
 * Christopher Snell, PhD - Professor of Exercise Science, University of the Pacific, Workwell Foundation
 * Mark VanNess, PhD - Associate Professor of Exercise Science, University of the Pacific, Workwell Foundation
 * Daniel Peterson, MD - Sierra Internal Medicine and Simmaron Research
 * Janet Smith, MD - Simmaron Research Board Member
 * Chitra Bhakta, MD - Orange County Integrative Medical Center
 * Jane Xenos, D.O. - Independent Physician
 * Judy Mikovits, PhD - Microbiologist
 * Charles Lapp, MD - Physician, Hunter-Hopkins Center
 * Nancy Klimas, MD - Physician, Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine
 * Gordon Broderick, PhD - Computer scientist, Institute for Neuro Immune Medicine
 * Lubov Nathanson, PhD - Research scientist, Genomics
 * William Pridgen, MD - Surgeon
 * Carol Duffy, PhD - Microbiologist
 * Jamison Hill - Former Bodybuilder with ME/CFS
 * Toni Bernhard - Author, How To Be Sick
 * Rivka Solomon - activist and organizer for ME

Available DVD and Streaming

 * Amazon


 * Music From The Documentary "Forgotten Plague" By: David Conley available free on Spotify.

Reviews

 * Oct 2, 2015, HuffPost Health Forgotten Plague: A Must See Documentary (Dutch translation)

Featured in media reporting

 * Chronic Fatigue: Missing Millions (Carte Blanche DSTV)

Credits
Directors: Nicole Castillo... director Ryan Prior... (co-director)

Writers: Ryan Prior

Producers: Nicole Castillo	... co-producer Mona Eliassen-Taliaferro... executive producer Travis Preston	... consulting producer Ryan Prior	... executive producer / producer Justin Reilly	... senior producer Giridhar Subramanian... producer

Music: David Conley

Cinematography: Nicole Castillo

Film Editing: Travis Preston	... editor Annie Laurie Medonis... assistant editor

Sound: Nicole Castillo	... sound mixer Dan Schaefer	... sound editor

Camera and Electrical: Nicole Castillo	... camera operator

Animation: Sam Alkaitis	... animator Zakk Bottomley	... animator

Music: Henry Adams	... musician: cello David Conley	... conductor / music editor / musician: acoustic guitar / musician: keyboards Kathleen Crawford... musician: cello Melissa Loga	... composer: additional music / musician: viola Eric Roper	... music recordist Esther Tonea	... musician: cello

The Blue Ribbon Foundation
In the spirit of a true grassroots organization, The Blue Ribbon Foundation started as an idea, which manifested into a documentary (Forgotten Plague), and eventually shaped a movement.

The Blue Ribbon Foundation’s mission is to foster a national public dialogue that can lead to finding the cause, cure, and prevention of neuro-immune diseases.

The Blue Ribbon Fellowship
The summer between the first and second years of medical school is sometimes described as the last “free time” medical students have. However, most driven medical students will pursue research fellowships to set themselves up for success in competitive residency programs. We have launched a highly competitive fellowship in neuro-immune medicine for students from across the nation or the world to study with leaders in the field. The goal of The Blue Ribbon Fellowship is to foster a new generation of physicians devoted to solving complex neuro-immune diseases.

Online presence

 * Facebook
 * Website
 * YouTube

Learn more

 * 2016, Telling the Story of a Forgotten Plague: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome