ThreeNews Elvira Edmond's Severe ME Story

Thank you to ThreeNews and Paddy Gower for shedding light on the reality for 25% of all Myalgic Encephalomyelitis cases. Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, 1-30 have ME or Long COVID with ME-like features. That's 180-185,000 people missing from workplaces, schools, boardrooms, universities. This news coverage features Elvira Edmonds who has lived with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) for three years. She has been mostly bedbound for the past year and has not been able to leave her upstairs bedroom for 4 months. Thanks to ThreeNews for covering Elvira's story on the 6 o'clock news 9th July 2026. Watch via your ThreeNow login at minute 25:41 on the link below, or view this snippet. ANZMES President, Fiona Charlton is featured highlighting the issues faced by Elvira and many other New Zealanders. ANZMES clarifies it's response below to Health NZ's statement: "While Health NZ notes that support for people with ME is available through the LTC‑CHC pathway, in practice most patients receive no meaningful assistance. Only those who are bedbound and require 24/7 care tend to qualify, and even then, they may receive as little as three hours of help a day. Recent cases show that access varies by region, creating a postcode lottery that leaves people without the support they need. ANZMES strongly encourages Health NZ to partner with us to upskill NASC assessors and the wider medical workforce, ensuring consistent, evidence‑based decisions nationwide. ME is one of the most functionally incapacitating conditions, often compared to the last two weeks of terminal illness, yet it is not recognised as a disabling condition in New Zealand. It meets the government's own definition of disability yet not the eligibility criteria for disability services. With up to 185,000 New Zealanders affected (when counting those with Long COVID who meet ME criteria), ME has been historically under‑funded, under-resourced, and under-researched. Recognition would finally legitimise the severity of this condition and allow people to access the services they are currently denied.” https://www.threenow.co.nz/.../171755... #SevereME #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis #MECFS #MyalgicE #DisabilityDenial