I chose to focus my thesis on fibromyalgia syndrome because I know several families who are searching for strategies to manage their lives with fibromyalgia. One of these families is my own. My dad was diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome in 1987, when I was still in high school. Until I began my thesis research, we knew relatively nothing at all about fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that changed my dad's and my family's lives forever.

In 1996, my parents and I attended the Oregon National Convention on Fibromyalgia. During the conference we had the opportunity to interact with fellow attendees coping with fibromyalgia and listen to prominent researchers share their work and knowledge. Attending this conference made me realize how isolated my family had been from useful information and other families with similar fibromyalgia experiences.

Speakers at the conference encouraged the audience to increase awareness about fibromyalgia by educating people in the community and those involved in politics. I decided to use my computer and educator skills to create accessible information for families affected by fibromyalgia. This website is the culmination of my efforts.

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

I would like to acknowledge the many people who have contributed to the development of this website. Without the writings of authors mentioned in my Bibliography, this site would not exist. Special thanks to Dr. Tony Jongejan, Dr. Frank Roberts, Dr. Susan Mancuso, Dr. Violet Malone, and Jan Roehl of Woodring College of Education at Western Washington University for their encouragement, knowledge, and guidance. My gratitude to all the evaluators of this site who made sure I created a website that is accessible, accurate and useful. I am forever indebted to Morse Stonecypher, Candace Stonecypher, Evangeline Purcell, and Jay Friends and my many family and friends for sharing their experiences, providing financial support, and making sure my day to day needs were taken care of so that I could concentrate on completing my thesis. Finally, I would like to extend my thanks to you for visiting the Fibromyalgia: Resources for Families website. I hope the information provided in these pages is meaningful to you.

Best regards,


Sherron M. Stonecypher
Web Designer

The author of this website
subscribes to the HONcode principles
of the Health On the Net Foundation.