Snide comment about fibromyalgia in “Powerlifting USA”

Snide comment about fibromyalgia in Powerlifting USA

I sent the following email to the editor of Powerlifting USA magazine.

Dear Powerlifting USA,

I was very offended by the snide and ignorant comment about fibromyalgia that appeared in the most recent issue of your magazine (June 2008, p. 36). The comment insinuated that fibromyalgia is not a real disease and that those who claim to suffer from it should just “get over it.”

I can assure you that fibromyalgia is a very real and devastating disease. And it is just such ignorance that those of us who suffer from it have to fight against on a constant basis. I would like to know what place such a comment has in a magazine that is supposed to be about powerlifting?

I would strongly suggest you do some studying on fibromyalgia. You could start by “googling” fibromyalgia. The search will turn up MILLIONS of pages dealing with this disease. You will see how very real and devastating it is. You will also find some of the stories of the millions of people whose lives have been ruined by this disease. And one of the biggest struggles we have is convincing friends, relatives, and others that it is a very real disease. Allowing such an insensitive and ignorant comment in your magazine makes this even more difficult and was simply irresponsible.

For my own struggles with this and related health problems, see my autobiography posted on my Christian Web site: Director’s Autobiography.

It was due to fibromyalgia that I almost had to give up on powerlifting. I was only able to continue to train and compete by using the bare minimum of gear. I discuss this struggle on the following page of my fitness Web site: Possible next context/ going “unequipped”

I thank the LORD that I was able to continue to powerlift. I just competed in a NASA contest, and it went very well: NASA NE States Powerlifting Championships.

However, you can be sure that most with fibromyalgia would not be able to do anything like powerlifting. But I love the sport and hope and pray I am able to continue to compete. But those of us who are able to accomplish anything worthwhile despite suffering from fibromyalgia should be commended, not the subject of irresponsible and snide comments.

I would kindly request that you print a retraction and apology in the next issue of your magazine. Again, such a comment had no place in a magazine about powerlifting.

Gary Zeolla

Note: I never received a response to the above email.

The above email was posted on this site June 21, 2008.

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