The Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation was established in 1998 through the initiative of the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and The Public Interest Law Clearing House as a project of the law firm Minter Ellison.

The Foundation is an enduring memorial to Alison Hunter and all those whose lives have been devastated by ME/CFS. Alison died in 1996, aged 19, from complications arising from ME/CFS which included seizures, paralysis, gastrointestinal paresis and overwhelming infection resembling Behcets Disease. Such complications are rare and only present in a severe subgroup. Alison courageously fought ME/CFS for ten years and was an unstinting advocate for young people.

Alison was the founding president of ME Young Adults (MEYA), established in 1992 at Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney.

"There is a common misconception that support groups are merely 'pity parties', and promote an unhealthy dwelling on one's disease. This is definitely not borne out in our experience with M.E.Y.A. One of the M.E.Y.A.'s most important functions is to provide social interaction in a non-threatening environment...to support, encourage, and above all, empower adolescents."
- Alison Hunter - Excerpt of address
International Meeting on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
18–20 May 1994 Dublin, Ireland

"The fatigue is not everyday tiredness, experienced after an energetic day's gardening. It is an exhaustion of body and mind so profound that it becomes a concerted effort to think, walk and sometimes even move, sit, eat or breathe."
- Alison Hunter, from Forget M.E. Not, an article written in September 1993.

The Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation is a non-profit institution. The Foundation works independently in a spirit of support and cooperation with all researchers, institutions and ME/CFS societies to advance scientific knowledge and medical care.

Alison Hunter Memorial Foundation Limited
ACN 085 075 305

Australian Taxation Office-endorsed deductible gift recipient

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