A long-time patient advocate, Barbara Fifield has organized multiple participatory campaigns aimed at educating others about the true nature and relevant issues of ME. Since co-founding Millions Missing Canada in 2016, she has amplified the voices of those living with the disease, has been instrumental in connecting the community and has played a significant role in expanding the Canadian advocacy movement.

As someone who has lived with severe ME for decades while also having a family member who is profoundly affected, Barbara has an intimate understanding of the illness in adults and children. Combining her lived experience with over fifteen years of advocacy within the education system, her extensive knowledge of the history of the disease, and a close relationship with the online patient community, Barbara has served as an invaluable resource to those seeking help and support.

Severe ME can steal everything you hold dear. It can incapacitate, alienate, stigmatize, paralyze, and ruthlessly cripple lives. The need for appropriate medical care, adequate treatment, and equitable research remains urgent. Ideally, Barbara hopes to see ME addressed with meaningful action in direct proportion to the devastation it causes. The countless lives lost, the depth of suffering, the decades of systemic neglect, and the turbulent history of this illness demand nothing less.