Renewed Hope: WPI's Brainchild is Born

The Whittemore Peterson Institute for Neuro-Immune Disease at the School of Medicine on the UNR (University of Nevada, Reno) campus, held it's grand opening Monday, August 16, 2010. It's like I have been lifted up above the clouds where the air is clean and pure. It's a new day. A special HUG to Andrea Whittemore, who represented all ME/CFS patients yesterday as she read from a letter she had written purposely for the grand opening.  Thank you from the depths of my heart Andrea. You are an angels' angel.

The Whittemore Peterson Institute Celebrates Formal Dedication to New Building (Press Release).


Take a walkthrough here:

If the grand opening wasn't enough to bring the sunlight in (and it was), Dr. Judy Mikovits revealed to the Reno Gazette Journal yesterday (Monday, August 16), that Dr. Alter's (FDA/NIH collaboration) XMRV ME/CFS paper will be released in September, and it confirms their findings that there is a high association of XMRV in ME/CFS patients.

"“There has been an issue over whether anybody could replicate our study, and it will not only confirm our findings but extend our findings, which is really exciting for us,” she said"

Findings by Reno scientists confirmed by U.S. government

Dr. Judy Mikovit's and Dr. Vince Lombardi (shown below) were authors of the research paper published in Science Magazine on October 9, 2009, that revealed to the public for the first time, that XMRV was present in the blood of 67% of the tested ME/CFS patients.

Knowing there are now 3 HIV drugs that suppress XMRV in vitro, Dr. Mikovit's said:

“We totally expect at least one clinical treatment trial before the end of the year,” she said. “That is our goal and that’s what this new facility is for.”

Dr. Sanford Barsky, who will be involved with the breast cancer reseach at the center, is shown here in the new lab. He is hoping to discover the causal factors of breast cancer latency.

An extended RGJ article on the center is here:

New UNR center to aid in fight against numerous afflictions


Validation is a tender eureka moment for those of us who have suffered for anywhere from 5 to 25+ years with this illness that has robbed us of everything in life, including the support from the medical community that has believed the CDC dogma that ME/CFS is a psychological condition.  We have been labeled malingering and lazy, crazy and that we have "Abnormal illness beliefs". All the while there are over 4000 pieces of literature published since the 1980's that has proven the physiological basis of this illness including immune, neurological and cardiac system abnormalities.

All of this comes too late for those who have passed away since October 9, 2009, including the two ME/CFS patients we lost just a few days ago. So for me, this day was for them and their surviving families.  I am praying that those suffering can hold on a few more months until the WPI Neuro-Immune Disease Institute opens its' clinic doors later this Fall. Until then, my days are a bit brighter; my hope is renewed.

Thank you Annette Whittemore and family for making the dream come true.