James Strazza passed away on May 4th, 2026. He had very severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) and was 100% bed bound and unable to care for himself since July of 2019. I'm James's mom. In his final weeks, James pulled together his writings on philosophy, living in the dark, new poetry, plus he created a journal of his final day, having thoughtfully planned the date of his exit. He was not depressed. From his point of view, he was being practical.

VERY SEVERE ME

It was my goal for seven years to help James be as creative as possible in impossible circumstances. He was secluded from the world, in a bed, in a dark and mostly silent room, that entire time. Unless I was here every day, experiencing this with him, I would not be able to imagine that his kind of existence was possible, or even real, from a description. This diagram shows a few of the ways I had to accommodate his extreme neurological sensitivity and symptoms.

To learn about James and severe ME, please explore my website, which includes a Resources page for ME information, plus videos of both of us, news coverage, and a teaser for the forthcoming documentary, What Doesn't Kill You, likely to release in early 2027.

More About James

James was a musician. Here are some songs he wrote, performed by others or videos from before he became so ill. And here’s an album he released with much effort when he was experiencing a temporary improvement in his symptoms.

In July of 2020 he began writing poetry for the first time in his life. We published a book of more than a hundred poems, Lyrical, in October of 2020. He kept writing. I published his second book, Unsung, in 2024.

Now, I look very much forward, with much-needed help, to publishing his final, and most consequential, work: Lowcountry, Seven Years in the Dark.

Here's an image of the cover of the book, mocked up prior to release.

And here is my beautiful son, before he became bedridden with severe ME.

MY ASK

James wanted to share his story in his final weeks and, with great pains, wrote his third and most consequential book to be published posthumously. But I am not in a place to publish it myself.

I had a good career, but the support I provided for James drained all my savings, my 401K, and my inherited investments. I became very ill myself, and for seven years I have not been able to work due to my own chronic illness and caring for James, so I pulled from those accounts every month.

The funding Goal you see here is adjusted to ADD the publishing funds. The majority of the funds represented include seven years of generous support for his treatment and extreme living conditions.

James said he wrote this third book "for the eyes of the world." You can help make that happen. Depending on your financial situation, you might be able to give generously and help me fulfill his final wish.

– Galen