This was the scene in one American city yesterday – just one city.
For a day of worldwide protest called #MissingMillions.
Update :
Photo removed – see notes in Replies section. Sorry for confusion.
I will try to insert another photo into this post – when I have the energy to work out how to do it. Not very good with tech stuff like this . . . !
The shoes belong to people with ME who sent them in. Or got someone to send them. (I didn’t even manage to do that.)
To represent the fact that so many of us with ME are not well enough to attend a protest. Even if it was on our doorstep.
We are missing from our own lives.
And from the lives of our friends and family. Even much of the time from the lives of our husbands, wives or partners.
We are pretty much invisible to the world.
I am exhausted after just following it on twitter yesterday.
To the extent that I haven’t been able to wash, get dressed, or eat any proper food today. Just snacks.
(But I have had many days where I have been much worse than this.)
I wanted to do this blogpost as it was a very emotional thing to see all the photos of empty shoes.
Incredibly emotional.
So many lives going to waste.
And I bet all these shoes only represent a small percentage of the number of sufferers.
It was uplifting too.
And I felt less alone than I have done in a long while.
Surely this will help society realise that we have a serious illness which is very disabling ?
And that we’re not just a bit tired.
Or having a nice sleep in bed.
I wish . . . .
Your Jaw Never Gets Tired 
May 27, 2016 @ 10:29:44
I didn’t even know this protest had happened! Thanks.
May 27, 2016 @ 20:18:13
I could be wrong but that image doesn’t look like it’s from any of the Millions Missing protests. I think that may be an image that got attached to one of the press releases (oops) that was sent out before the event happened?
Here’s one link with photos:
https://meaction.smugmug.com/Millions-Missing
May 27, 2016 @ 23:55:29
I saved the photo from Twitter and used it – as it had been tweeted as being an actual photo from one of the protest areas.
But I’ll check into this as soon as I can.
Thanks
Anne
May 27, 2016 @ 23:57:25
I saved the photo from Twitter and used it – as it had been tweeted as being an actual photo from one of the protest areas.
But I’ll check into this as soon as I can to clarify.
Thanks
Anne
May 29, 2016 @ 20:16:45
Anne, that photo is from the recent Paris terrorist attacks; locals weren’t allowed to leave their homes, so they put their shoes out to show support for other Parisians. (see original here http://i.huffpost.com/gen/3721950/images/o-PARIS-SHOES-facebook.jpg).
this photo was an example of what the #millionsmissing protests might look like. it’s not a #millionsmissing event.
May 29, 2016 @ 22:44:50
Thanks for comments and messages about the photo I had used originally.
I had another message on twitter also telling me the photo was from Paris. But from the Climate Change convention – and the shoes belonged to protesters.
But on Wed this week lots of photos were getting tweeted and re-tweeted around twitter with #MissingMillions and #MEcfs etc in the tweets.
So there has been some confusion.
And I have added to it . . . ! Apologies for this.
Anyway I have deleted the photo now.
Anne
Ps. I will try and post another photo in its place for this post. IF I can work out how to do it. (It took me long enough to work out how to delete the original photo used – without deleting the whole post.)