Pamela Schlangen Acher, born September 3, 1944, passed away at home on October 26, 2003 of complications of CFIDS.
Pam became ill in 1978 but later recovered enough to work part time as a Montessori teacher in the mid to late eighties.
In the early nineties, no longer able to teach, aided by four other PWCs she formed the CFIDS Network of Baltimore. The group
lobbied their local Congressional Representatives, wrote letters to other legislators and sought through print and broadcast
media to promote greater awareness of our disease. By the mid-'90s, however, Pam was able to do less and less.
In addition to CFIDS and severe NMH, Pam had been diagnosed with extreme gastroparesis. She was also losing sensation in
both feet, making it quite difficult to walk and exacerbating chronic poor circulation.
Pam graduated from Antioch College in 1968 and the Washington Montessori Institute in 1975. She had only three years to
teach before getting sick with CFIDS. "I always wanted to return to my alma mater with some sort of accomplishment under my
belt", she recently told a friend. Those of us blessed to know Pam understand that, although her career and eventually her
life were cut short by illness, she made a great difference in the lives of fellow PWCs and accomplished much for the CFIDS
community.
Pam is survived by her mother, Ruth Kim of Baltimore, MD; her father, Lester Schlangen of Phoenix, AZ; and her sister,
Hanya Kim of Beijing, China. Pam also leaves behind countless friends whose lives were made far better for knowing her.
