2022 Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winner
I’m a 2022 Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winner!
2022 has brought much angst and anguish due to declining health, but one thing that has kept me going and focused is my advocacy work. Imagine my surprise as I was gearing up for the last part of the year to learn that I am a Support Fibromyalgia Network 2022 Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winner! I’m late in writing about this but I wanted to make sure I announce it in my 2022 blog updates.
Many thanks to Support Fibromyalgia Network for not only giving me the opportunity to speak at their first annual Fibromyalgia Community Conference, but also for presenting me with a massive award this year.
ABOUT THE AWARD – SUPPORT FIBROMYALGIA NETWORK Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winner
This is what their award means in their words:
The Fibromyalgia Legacy Award winners are community leaders that have given over a decade of substantial contributions to the fibromyalgia community. They demonstrate integrity, bravery, compassion, and respect for all patients living with fibromyalgia. They distinguish themselves with their strength of having an open heart to mentor other community leaders and lead with a message of hope through collaboration. To all our fibromyalgia friends you are not alone in this fight. Lean into the hope from all our community leaders. There is a path forward.
Melissa Talwar, Support Fibromyalgia Network
ABOUT MY FIBROMYALGIA ADVOCACY WORK:
I’ve spent well over a decade here on My Several Worlds filling a gap for patients who are learning about foreign healthcare systems in a different language. I have a large library of articles on this site devoted to learning how to communicate about your illness and pain, how to communicate your needs to others, and how patients communicate via art therapy. Here are a few takeaways from my advocacy work:
- I’ve been advocating for fibromyalgia and arthritis awareness since 2009
- There are over 880 articles on this site since I started it in January 2007
- I’m a WEGO Health Lifetime Achievement Award Finalist
- Healthline has recognized my site as a best fibromyalgia blog since 2018
- My Several Worlds is listed in the top 5 fibromyalgia blogs in the world
- I’m a main admin for several large and private global women’s support groups for fibromyalgia and axSpA
- I’ve developed a patient hub here in Taiwan for patients who are struggling to find updated information. It’s not easy to find updated information in English about fibromyalgia here in Asia.
- I’m better known as an arthritis advocate in Taiwan, but elsewhere, most folks know me for advocating for chronic pain, disability, fibromyalgia, and axSpA
- I’ve been in the news many times here in Asia for my advocacy efforts here in Taiwan
- Having written well over a million words on this site translates roughly to NINE well-researched books at 100,000 words per book!
- And now I can add 2022 Fibromyalgia Legacy Winner to my list of achievements!
Thank you so much for recognizing my work and my mission to support and educate others about life with fibromyalgia! It means the world to me!
Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winners 2022 – Support Fibromyalgia Network
I’d also like to take a moment to highlight the other winners of this award, some of whom are featured in my event recaps below. You can use the Table of Contents to find their names in my event recaps to see the outstanding work they’re doing in their own advocacy initiatives.
- Dr. Ginerva Liptan, DrLiptan.com – Was I really recognized for my work next to a personal hero of mine? I was! Dr. Liptan’s presentation can be found in my event recap below for our doctors and medical researchers.
- Barby Ingle, iPain Foundation – Our cheerleader of Hope can be found in my event recap for our fibromyalgia community leaders
- Dr. Samy Metyas – Dr. Metyas’ presentation can be found in my event recap below for our doctors and medical researchers.
- Elaine Merryfield, Navigating Life with Fibro – Elaine is the sweetest lady and I feel her warm presence around me each time we cross paths online. Her presentation can be found in my event recap for our fibromyalgia community leaders
- Julie Ryan
- Colette Annetta
- Barbara Orr Ebberts
ABOUT THE EVENT: Fibromyalgia Community Conference
The Fibromyalgia Community Conference is a FREE, virtual conference hosted by Support Fibromyalgia Network and Looms4Lupus. This two-day event features healthcare providers, researchers, and community leaders. It was hosted on November 5 and 6, 2022, one week prior to 2022’s massive ACR event.
While Melissa and I both attended ACR22, I was attending from home and that allowed me some extra time to post two whopping event recaps for the first ever Support Fibromyalgia Network’s first fibromyalgia conference. You’ll notice there are three Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winners in this recap.
Read it: Fibromyalgia Community Leaders at Fibromyalgia Conference 2022
This post covers our Fibromyalgia Community Leaders and their presentations on various topics such as healthcare rights, community activities; patient perspectives on using on LDN and CBD, how nature benefits us, how we build communities and more! Use the table of content to switch to each presentation.
Read my event recap for our medical experts: Fibromyalgia Doctors – 2022 Fibromyalgia Community Conference
Featuring our fibromyalgia medical experts, including: Dr. Samy Metyas, Dr. Ginerva Liptan, Dr. Martin Rutherford, Dr. Michael Lenz, Dr. Nicole Silva, Dr. Tracey Roberts Ramirez, Dr. Sarah Devoto, Ben Ahrens, Meghan Rittmaster, Dr. Marco Loggia, and Dr. Olga Pinkston. Use the table of contents to skip to each doctor’s section. Enjoy and please share! Use the table of content to switch to each presentation. There are two Fibromyalgia Legacy Award Winners in this recap.
Finally, you can view Fibromyalgia Community Conference event album on FB. I took quotes from each presentation to highlight the important work that all of these incredible individuals are doing. I hope you enjoy it! Visit the album here:
Thank you again so much for recognizing my advocacy work. I love doing it. It’s one of my great passions. The feeling of being able to assist others on their own journey is indescribable. This award doesn’t just represent my work. It has happened thanks to you, my readers, and to all the people who have helped me on this fibromyalgia journey. I am so grateful for all the fibro warriors I’ve met on this adventure of mine and I love the new friendships and memories I’ve made with these amazing people.
Carrie
I’m a chronically ill and disabled Canadian writer, patient advocate, international businesswoman, artist, and lifelong geek at heart.I lived in Taiwan for 23 years before repatriating to Canada at the end of 2025. My Several Worlds began as a travel and expat blog, but over the years it has grown with me through chronic illness, disability awareness, advocacy, business ownership, systems change, and the messy business of rebuilding a life when your body and the world around you do not always cooperate.I’ve lived several lives in one body. I built a massive international recruiting business called Reach To Teach Recruiting, became a professional writer and patient advocate, and somehow ended up as a chronically ill systems nerd who gets wildly excited about websites, healthcare policy, research rabbit holes, cats, and whatever is blooming in my garden.I’ve also modeled in Canada, China, and Taiwan, including one very memorable Discover Taipei cover involving a pineapple, which I still consider peak expat achievement.I’m a bit of a jack of all trades and a self-professed autodidact. I love art, flower arranging, reading — which is an understatement if you’ve seen my Goodreads profile. I have a special place in my heart for science, technology, law, health and medicine, history, disability policy, and culture.Animal videos make me cry. I hate cooking. You can find me nerding out at home most of the time due to being mostly housebound. If I'm not engaged in one of the activities listed above, I'm probably building websites.Check my About page to learn why I’m taking you on this journey with me through My Several Worlds.
