My Story:

I was sick for 28 years with ME/CFS. Often bed bound, always exhausted, told nothing could help.

In November 2025, I went back to 10 year old genetic testing looking for answers.

I found out I’m homozygous for rs5522, a variant that makes the mineralocorticoid receptor hyperactive.

I tried spironolactone, a $20/month generic drug.

48 hours later, I had my first restorative sleep in 28 years.

I have a Masters in Public Health. I worked on clinical trials. I never imagined that I would find the upstream cause of dozens of health conditions.

But, I did: it’s inflammation.

I’m not a doctor. I’m patient. I’m a researcher. I’m a person who got sick, found what worked, and realized pharmaceutical companies have known about this for decades.  They just sell $60,000/year drugs instead of telling you about the $20/month one.

12-20% of people have this variant. That’s 50 million Americans.

Some are called “obese.” Some have chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia or depression that won’t respond to treatment.

I’m not selling anything. I’m showing you what I found so you can get tested and try it yourself.

People are dying today from something treatable.

That’s why this matters.

Patricia Donnellan, MPH