These are Maine workers, Maine veterans, Maine parents who got sick, fell through every crack in the system, and were left to figure it out alone. Research suggests that as many as 45 percent of Long COVID patients meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS. Here is the good news: for the first time in the history of this disease, a good plan exists. In 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) approved the ME/CFS Research Roadmap — a rigorous, expert-built blueprint developed by scientists, clinicians, and patients. Two Democratic administrations had the opportunity to fund ME/CFS research and did not.