Just to be extremely clear: I made this video about a thought provoking topic, which it apparently is in regards to the commentaries people are taking the time to submit. I am not telling anyone what they should do with their money or where to go to donate. Each one of you can decide what you think is the right way to go about the matter. My sole intention is to make everyone realize the power we could have if something was done in a collective way with a very dedicated set of people. There are problems in research due to government decisions, the influence and power of pharmaceutical companies and the lack of high risk/low profit research being done. I have discussed these issues at length with Dr. Sandal in one of my videos if you're interested in this topic, he has a very interesting view on the changes that need to be made. For the time being, I have linked 2 organizations that are amongst the bigger ones out there in my bio but if you have local non profits or organizations that need help, the idea is evidently to help all of those too. The issue at hand is a much greater one and the entire system is flawed because of the profit based incentives most research centers work with. My thoughts are merely to mirror this and to make us think as a collective about different options and possibilities we could create to help change happen. When millions come together as one, the power of the masses can shift the systems in place. In any case, I did not make this video for people to agree with me but to spark conversation and ideas in a world that needs positive change and for all the people suffering who need the research to get done in order to get better.
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for doing this. The link below is something I recorded about the month back but never had the nuts to send to anyone. I'm not even sure if it's appropriate to send it to you because I don't want to surreptitiously hijack what you're trying to do. There's a lot of us renegades out there and I also believe that we should actually do something with this powerful movement. Greetings from Galway, Ireland, Colm th-cam.com/video/-27cU6avBhA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=sUpnmJmRRauF9Nux
Hi there thank you so much for your video. I watched it and think we have to talk a bit. If you're up for it message me on my FB or Insta (links in bio)
Ren recently addressed this topic in a post or live stream I saw. He has been researching reputable non-profits that he will feel comfortable partnering with and/or promoting. I expect when he announces such a relationship that he trusts the donations will come en masse. I thought he forecasted summer of 2025 but with his relapse one can’t predict. In the meantime ppl are invited to support the many different organizations as they like
It's always extremely tricky to choose where to send your money too when we all know that some organizations are not exactly trustworthy. Also most of the donations often go to administrative costs...it's still a struggle to decide what to do. The most reputable research labs are often found in universities around the world and this is why for the US I linked the John Hopkins institute for Lyme research. In any case, the issues are the same for Ren in trying to find a place to invest in ; it would probably be easier for him to create something himself (which I suppose he is trying to achieve in the UK)
I just did some research these days on European NGOs and charities "dealing" with lyme disease and how I could support them. Despite this all happened outside the Google realm here comes your video... coincidence? 🤔 I eventually picked one that I believe is "relevant" in the country I live and will do a monthly donation from now on. I bought most of Ren's records from Bandcamp (and other artists I learned about thanks to him), gifted several Sick Boi CDs to friends to push the chart position and in the hope to convert them to Renegades 🙂 I'm one of his Patreons, bought some of his merch and Sick Boi clothing, so yes Lisa: I can easily donate €10,-- a MONTH for such a charity. I can easily spare a effing Starbucks coffee _a month_ or a shitty _Burger Menu_ (yikes) and spend that money for a cause. (I actually despise Starbucks as a company just like Spotify, and I don't eat burgers but I hope you get the point). I agree with you, Lisa: so can many of his fans. I also understand some had to scrape their cash to afford a CD or LP or download, his merch or even a "Sick Boi Uniform" (which is comfy btw.) ... I'm not talking about you. Lisa's not talking about you. Anyone who could easily afford a Sick Boi uniform or gets a new iPhone on release, or has a coffee at Starbucks 🤢at least once a week, also has the means to donate _at least_ 1 $ € £ / 1.60 ¥ a MONTH for a lyme disease charity of your choice. Let that be your 2025 resolution and all years to come. Google one and start a monthly standing order for your donation. Your thoughts, love and prayers don't finance research. 💰💰 does... Thank you ! My age is slowly taking its toll. Bones ache, muscles hurt, memories fooling me, but that's just life happening. I'm lucky enough to have never (really) suffered from mental or physical health issues or some chronic disease but I've gone thru some tough times as a kid of a single working mom myself. I cannot relate to a lot of what Ren's describing or what many Renegades go through, but I believe I'm empathic enough to "understand" and also "extrapolate" from the mental, social, and physical shit that happened to me during my lifetime. Shit that presumably happens to every person of this spinning ball in one form or another, as a kid, a teen, an adult, and in my case a soon to be senior... subbed 4 more.
I am so infinitely grateful for your comment, you wouldn't believe...This is exactly the point I'm trying to make and in no regards am I judging anyone on a personal level. Thank you so much for your understanding and the action you're taking locally. And yes the sickboi & merch clothing is amazing and yes I would love to buy more and send it over to renegades who haven't got the means to buy it (I'm sorry for those who felt left out). Our societies function on a profit based standard in almost every domain and we are not able to create change purely on thoughts and prayers, but creating a wave of change implies for each and everyone to contribute just a drop of water not the entire ocean. To push the thought even further, in a global movement this drop doesn't have to be money for everyone, it can come in the shape of time, skills, raising awareness etc.
As someone with chronic illnesses including Lyme and ME... I agree more funding and awareness are needed. But a part of this comes across unnecessarily judgy to me, maybe the people who invest in his merch already are donating to charities. We have no way of knowing. I know I do both. And at the end of the day, everyone has their reasons for where their money goes. As for getting people to view his videos, his Me vs ME videos are so important, but I'd definitely also show new fans to his chapters videos sice thats what he put out once he had a bigger platform, he didn't redirect people to old videos. I agree we all need to stick together and try to make a change. If you can donate, please do. If you can spread awareness, please do. I remember last spring or summer one of the groups held a raffle or fundraiser or something and somewhere around £7000 was raised for charities including a Lyme charity. It's good to know the renegades are out there being a rising tide, whether it's through donations or actions. 100%, we need to unite to make changes in the world ♥
I'm really sorry if anything that I said came across in a negative way. I was simply stating something purely factual about some people having resources and others not. In any case, there's absolutely no judgement on my part of what each person does with their own money. I know many individual renegades and groups have done a lot of fundraising ; my statement is just to take notice of the collective power if all the fans where to take action together. Regarding the videos and his ME channel, as I said in my video, I thought about the number of views and the rawness of the content he decided to show. It paints an extremely accurate visual for people who are not aware of the day to day impact of chronic and auto immune illnesses. I have also talked quite a bit about his "life chapter" videos and redirected viewers to renmakesstuff. The message I want to convey is purely about how unity in general can bring change and the potential I see in this fan base. Renegades are probably the most dedicated fans I have encountered and to see the amount of support within the groups is amazing. Thank you for taking the time to comment. Sending you buckets of love and positive energy
I buy as much of Rens Merch as I can afford. I am also up to date buying his albums. Inspired by his health struggles I made a donation to Lyme Disease UK, they're really proud of what Ren is doing to raise awareness.
We need to change the health care systems so that everyone has a fair chance for good healthy lifes. Do donate to organizations doesn't help changing the health care. People need to be able to get medical care without a waiting list for month, and without going bankrupt because of health issues. This is not an equal system if you can't effort medical treatment. My cousin died with 43 after she had her third heart attack. She had 2 jobs and some kind of health insurance. But the health insurance went up after the first heart attack, and after the second again. She couldn't effort her meds anymore and still had to work her 2 jobs. I would not want to live in a system like this and my home country is changing our health system to the worse. Health insurance companies have to much power and this needs to change. The same goes for education.
I couldn't agree more! If I wanted to debate on all the issues going on with the health care system and our societies, my video would be 48 hours long! :) I have the same beliefs you have about the need for a different system in general to get people the help they deserve. thank you so much for sharing your story, I'm truly sorry you lost your cousin this way. We need open conversations and collective action to bring deep change to dysfunctional systems.
Good topic, will need some thought as to the best way to go about it. So many legitimate charities are falling victim to top heavy bureaucracy which sees a large percentage of donations paying for administration. Finding places where money could go directly to scientific facilities already involved in such research would be ideal. Rather than lots of smaller donations to a range of places. 2 or 3 really large ones to places involved with existing research would probably be more helpful. Lots to think through. Thanks for starting a worthwhile conversation.
Thank you Lisa! I think you raise a very good point. I spent $184.00 on Sick Boi merch this year. I can definitely afford $20/mo. to donate to Lyme Disease and ME research! Any links you can offer to legit research orgs? 💜💜💜
Thanks for this vid and discussion Lisa. I watch most of those videos from him already but I think I dissociated a bit because, of course, a lot of them hit close to home for me. I remember crying recently when I thought about how most people, if they are laying down and have to go to the bathroom, they just get up without much thought and maybe it’s an annoyance at most.. but there are so many times where even walking those 15 feet is so daunting for me and by the time I get back in bed I feel like I did a long run. Seeing him like that hits me sooo hard.. Thank you for doing everything you are doing. Honestly, it means so freaking much to me. I love you, Lisa!!
Thank you Sara, this is exactly why change needs to be made! It's for people like you that I wish we can come to more efficient research funding. I love you too
My thought is that there has to be a focus and specificity to make it effective. The messages to spread awareness and to support organizations related to mental health and chronic illness are in the ether of the community. But one or two specific organizations or research groups need to be targeted and those choices could change yearly or every other year perhaps. If it's the Renegades who are being asked to rally, then Ren, his team, and the Rabbit Hole would be the ones to make the selection. Or possible choices could be put up for a vote by the community if that's preferred. Then the various renegades and groups who are active in promotion would have something specific to promote and renegades would have a specific way to help.
Great video and and great message, and I applaud your efforts and shining a light on M.E. and conditions that cause M.E. I'm sorry to be a bit of a downer in light of this positive message, but I promise it ends on a very positive note and offers a solution, not just a complaint. The Renegades, as a whole, need to check themselves and make a bit of an adjustment!! I have been a fan since a little bit before Hi Ren dropped, and have been lucky enough to witness the birth of a star. I can tell ya the first few reactors that started using the word "Renegades" to describe the fan base, and almost the exact date that fans unanimously embraced the name. I was an early member of the FP page the Ren Rabbit Hole, and saw it grow until the toxicity was too much for me. I consume a LOT of Ren reactions, and I follow his career and social media life casually, I know that the bulk of the Renegades have great big hearts, and are filled with empathy and compassion at their core, but group think and mob mentality are tricky little buggers, that infest even groups of people with the best of intentions. I'm not gonna go into the things I see Renegades doing that tarnish Ren's name, I will tell you though that I know for a fact that within the content creators that do reaction videos, it's a well known and discussed issue, along with warnings and tips given to new reactors on how to handle the Renegades. Instead I'll tell you what I don't see, I haven't seen a single Renegade in a long time, mention a single word about M.E., POTS, Fibromyalgia or other autoimmune issues, while they tell reactors what video to do next, or how crazy talented Ren is. If you have the means to donate even a small amount to M.E. research or advocacy groups, then please do it, dog knows funding is vital, but grass roots movements need people power too, hundreds of thousands of nameless people doing thankless things, often very small, to really have the overall movement heard and paid attention to. So........................... I OFFER THIS CHALLENGE TO ALL RENEGADES AND CASUAL FANS OF REN ALIKE!!!!!!! If you haven't watched the documentary "Unrest", which features a song from Ren, and a short clip of him, watch it, then get one other person in your life to watch it and pass it on to one other person and so on. If you've seen it, then you're half way there. That's it, easy peezy!! It's something we can all do that won't cost us anything but an hour or so of our time, it's free to watch on TH-cam. I've seen Renegades very determined and rally together to up the view counts on Ren videos, which is AWESOME!! "Unrest" has a tragically low amount of views, as it sits at 134k views. How many Renegades are there out there? Think if everyone watched it and got one person to watch it, how much we could raise that number, and in this case it's not about the algorithm or hitting a milestone, it's getting the documentary in front of as many eyes as possible, and the right pair of eyes, that have the means or influence to really get behind this issue. Let's put our time and effort where our mouths are and really represent for Ren!! If you made it this far I very much appreciate your time in reading my thoughts on this, have a good day! ✌💚
I totally agree with you and "unrest" has to get more views. It is on TH-cam and I will put the link in the description. Also regarding lyme disease there is also "the quiet epidemic" which is a huge eye opener. Thank you for taking the time
Seeing this again and it still hits as deeply as the first time I saw it , thank you for being a shining light on social media platforms and bringing these into the spot light The people he is drawing in so many are relatable and going there own situations your onto something here definitely but what I see is people getting pushed apart and separated by one's one preferences would love to chat to you about how to make this happen if it was done in unity
I love that your making these videos. ♥️. It's not about donating somewhere. What Ren talks about is a change in our systems. That's where I think we need to focus efforts. This is what Ren talks about over and over again. Research for cures are typically funded by governments. The percentage that goes into research dwindles down as 25-35% goes to operating expenses. Then depending on the charity, the money goes to education, advocacy, etc. It's still great to give to organizations, don't get me wrong, and its a great choice. But what these terrible diseases need a shift in our governments. It can happen if enough people get fed up and have inspiring leaders. ❤😊
The most important thing is that conversations are started to bring ideas to the table… I’m not sure how to effectively get a responsible world wide discussion on how to bring change… the one positive thing is that Renegades through groups and the friendships have found ways to make a difference in many of the ways people suffer by support in emotional ways… you are right though so many could make a difference… it’s something so important to so many… I think maybe the reasons for the low views were because they are older videos, but also because they are so painful to many to watch.. I have seen them many times and know they are very emotional… I think so many of his followers are empaths and it can be so overwhelming to them… it is so hard to see Ren so sick….thank you for your channel and for trying to bring more awareness… it is such an important endeavor and near and dear to REN’s heart which most of us feel very close to… 🫶🏻
Lisa I can appreciate why you made this video and I love and applaud you for trying to raise the issue of the need to raise more funds and awareness. 💛👏👏 However, as someone who has CFS and other illnesses, I already donate a consistent amount to various charities related to this each year. I have seen all of Ren’s “Me vs. M.E" videos, his “Chapters 1 to 8” and the “Unrest” movie too. I often promote them by encouraging others to watch them as well, both privately and in the Ren’s Rabbit Hole Group. My only slight concern with your video is that I think it is a little presumptive to assume that Renegades aren’t already trying to help in whatever way they can afford, whether that is by donating to charities and research organisations, raising awareness of the research out there to others, joining group fund raising activities or campaigning for change. Plus, is it really necessary to judge how people spend their hard earned or saved money? I saved up all year to buy my Ren merch because I knew he was going to be releasing his own clothing line. I don’t have or spend much money, so this was my treat for the year; so because of that I felt your comparison regards spending money on merch and/or donating came across as a little bit judgmental; even though I know this was never your intention.
Dear Beth, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I'm sorry if any part of my video came across as judgy but the statistical reality is that not everyone is doing as much as you are. From all of the people in the following we can assume that only a limited number are invested in these topics and trying to help advance the research. My video is evidently not directed to people like yourself in particular as I am raising the question of a collective action. The point I am making is to acknowledge that even if thousands of renegades are all giving their money or time to a multitude of charities it doesn't make those actions as efficient as would a collective movement. At no point am I saying that renegades aren't invested in the matter or that people aren't already donating ; The issue being the real impact of a mass donation or investment in comparison to what is happening with a multitude of fundraisers scattered across the planet, I am not judging anyone but raising a fundamental question. Being a single mother of two, I have limited resources too and can truly relate to you in regards to buying the SickBoi clothes and merch which were my Christmas gifts. I also had to put the money aside to buy them. So I did not at any point compare buying merch to donating, what I did say is that there is a fair percentage of buyers that are probably able to invest a tenner more a year and for those who can't someone else can overtake. As we all (the 2 million of us) have our own different financial situations there is always some solution to balance things out. I'm sorry if anything I said offended you. I wasn't talking about you or anyone in particular but to us renegades as a whole, as a group. If we would create a collective movement it would be more effective than anything one singular person is doing on their own. The power always resides in people coming together.
@ Thank you so much for understanding my point and clarifying yours. I agree a jointly wholistic and more concentrated effort by Ren’s followers could indeed be more beneficial than lots of smaller/individual ways of raising money. So like I said I do think your suggestion was extremely valid and helpful. I just want to add one other tiny point that many people buying the Sick Boi merch may not have considered or wished to directly donate to help this/these cause at all, but by buying the merch they are indirectly contributing anyway because Ren is obviously donating some of his profits from the merch to the cause.
@@bethstratton3391 Oh yes I'm absolutely sure of that too! Even if the merch & SickBoi revenue doesn't go directly to an organization he'll end up using it for his personal projects to advance the cause that's for sure!!! An excellent point I forgot to make in the video but that I thought of after :) That's the beauty of posting content off the top of your head, sometimes you forget interesting details :)
My intent on buying a cd or tshirt on tbe cheap side ( sure can't afford sick boi clothing) - (nor need it.)is really not for me- it's for Ren to have funds for this topic. I dont need a t shirt nor cd. But if we all poor folk In money do this when we can- Ren can utilize it however he chooses to use it. I am a senior who still works full time to support myself in a crazy expensive place called Southern CA. I just donated to the animals displaced and needing medical care for burns etc for the horrific wildfires north of me. 100% will go to the animals in need. I do what i can. I like the idea of a big donation going one place , but we are all over the world😮. Thanks Lisa for the video and Interviews. Perfect sense to me..
Ive been super tired for 20 years from Ulcerative Colitis, the medication i take give more issues, but the issues come with keeping me alive. People dont understand! yes i might look okay, but you build a mask to the pain not to make others upset.
I support this. The big question is who to donate to. As a resident of the US, I will not support Big pharma, and my heart breaks for those suffering (I am familiar with the suffering and personally touched by the suffering/ challenges/ changes to life's trajectory that are caused by chronic, incurable illness). I think Ren posted that he's working on a partnership for research, but I haven't seen any updates on that. It's difficult to research, as well (hard to tell who's truly legit).
Excellent concept. I would be in for $5 a month. Just let me know if someone has the skills and knowledge to set up a non-profit. I would help also remotely in any capacity with in such a organization free!!❤❤❤❤
I'm really sorry to hear about Ren falling ill again. Do you know if he has ever been diagnosed with Celiac disease? He talks about autoimmunity at the end of "Hi Ren" and Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system damages the small intestine when it comes into contact with gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. In your video, you have a clip of him talking about how cakes (made of wheat) and chips (usually cooked in oil that has wheat flour battered products cooked in it too) affecting him. If you know anyone who has this disease, they can have some of the same symptoms of ME/CFS from the small intestine damage keeping them from absorbing nutrients from the food they eat. The cognitive impairment can be really severe and if someone has one autoimmune disease, they are likely to have one or more other ones.
Ren has MCAS. The video of him saying he could no longer eat cake & chips was made years ago, probably before he even knew what was wrong. He has a very restricted diet of foods that do not contain histamines: organic meat (excepting pork) & poultry, squashes (he calls them aubergines), including cucumber, lettuce, celery & some herbs & spices. He has recently been able to add rice to his diet & made a joke about getting fat on rice cakes.
The problem raising funds as always is .. Where those funds end up ? In the UK there is a different advertisement for a different cause every few minutes on tv asking for £5 or £10 per month so many endless charities and most of the funds are spent on administration greedy CEOs on millions per annum in wages alone and the thing that receives the least funding is the cause itself ..It never makes sense ..If your idea is to work it has to work for the cause and not a cash cow for greedy people ..Ren is an adamant hater of greed
@@lisaandlifeofficial My idea would be for all reactors to Rens work is to give a little back by either buying a piece of Rens merch or donating some of their own merch and doing live podcasts and auctioning the merch off and all proceeds go to Chronic illness research ..that means everybody benefits ..like Ren says A rising tide lifts all ships right ? Its only an idea but i think it would benefit a great cause ..My parents always taught me growing up using these words .. It costs absolutely nothing to be nice ..good luck with your future .. love and peace
@@iandavison3704 "so many endless charities and most of the funds are spent on administration greedy CEOs on millions per annum in wages alone and the thing that receives the least funding is the cause itself ..It never makes sense" Can you point me to the evidence for this ?
@@chrisbodum3621 Quite simple really go and research it yourself like I did .. pick any big charity that comes to mind ..find the CEO concerned and research his income per annum for that particular course or charity ..there are far too many middlemen taking so much for doing little or next to nothing for a huge salary ,
@@chrisbodum3621 I live in Hungary. I am writing this with a translator. When I was a company manager, an organization approached me to support sick, familyless children. I agreed to support a boy with kidney disease. After that, organizations contacted me every day. It turned out that the first company had sold my contact information to other organizations. A representative of one of the organizations revealed that donations were a 30% commission for the organizer, part of it was an administration fee, and a minimal amount for the child. Since then, I have only trusted direct donations. In 2015, we had a refugee crisis. The government did not help, closed the border, and masses of refugees lived on the streets for weeks. UNICEF threw yellow plastic ducks into the Danube, but it did not help the newly needy refugee children. As a civilian, I carried clothes and food to train stations. Organizations like to live well first and distribute the rest. There are probably exceptions, but I don't know much about them.
Just to be extremely clear:
I made this video about a thought provoking topic, which it apparently is in regards to the commentaries people are taking the time to submit. I am not telling anyone what they should do with their money or where to go to donate. Each one of you can decide what you think is the right way to go about the matter. My sole intention is to make everyone realize the power we could have if something was done in a collective way with a very dedicated set of people. There are problems in research due to government decisions, the influence and power of pharmaceutical companies and the lack of high risk/low profit research being done. I have discussed these issues at length with Dr. Sandal in one of my videos if you're interested in this topic, he has a very interesting view on the changes that need to be made.
For the time being, I have linked 2 organizations that are amongst the bigger ones out there in my bio but if you have local non profits or organizations that need help, the idea is evidently to help all of those too. The issue at hand is a much greater one and the entire system is flawed because of the profit based incentives most research centers work with. My thoughts are merely to mirror this and to make us think as a collective about different options and possibilities we could create to help change happen.
When millions come together as one, the power of the masses can shift the systems in place.
In any case, I did not make this video for people to agree with me but to spark conversation and ideas in a world that needs positive change and for all the people suffering who need the research to get done in order to get better.
Hi Lisa, thank you so much for doing this. The link below is something I recorded about the month back but never had the nuts to send to anyone. I'm not even sure if it's appropriate to send it to you because I don't want to surreptitiously hijack what you're trying to do. There's a lot of us renegades out there and I also believe that we should actually do something with this powerful movement.
Greetings from Galway, Ireland, Colm
th-cam.com/video/-27cU6avBhA/w-d-xo.htmlsi=sUpnmJmRRauF9Nux
Hi there thank you so much for your video. I watched it and think we have to talk a bit. If you're up for it message me on my FB or Insta (links in bio)
@lisalifeand thank you. I would love your input. Dammit now I have to install bookface! Give me a day. Thanks again
@@Badly.Lit.RENegade you dont have to. Just send me an email to lisaandlife.contact@gmail.com
@@lisaandlifeofficial will do tomorrow. Rest well friend. Thanks for the reply, as I said I'm nervous about this. Colm
Ren recently addressed this topic in a post or live stream I saw. He has been researching reputable non-profits that he will feel comfortable partnering with and/or promoting. I expect when he announces such a relationship that he trusts the donations will come en masse. I thought he forecasted summer of 2025 but with his relapse one can’t predict. In the meantime ppl are invited to support the many different organizations as they like
It's always extremely tricky to choose where to send your money too when we all know that some organizations are not exactly trustworthy. Also most of the donations often go to administrative costs...it's still a struggle to decide what to do. The most reputable research labs are often found in universities around the world and this is why for the US I linked the John Hopkins institute for Lyme research. In any case, the issues are the same for Ren in trying to find a place to invest in ; it would probably be easier for him to create something himself (which I suppose he is trying to achieve in the UK)
I have found that Charity Navigator does a great job of investigating and doing detailed reports and scores on Charities.@@lisaandlifeofficial
I just did some research these days on European NGOs and charities "dealing" with lyme disease and how I could support them. Despite this all happened outside the Google realm here comes your video... coincidence? 🤔
I eventually picked one that I believe is "relevant" in the country I live and will do a monthly donation from now on.
I bought most of Ren's records from Bandcamp (and other artists I learned about thanks to him), gifted several Sick Boi CDs to friends to push the chart position and in the hope to convert them to Renegades 🙂
I'm one of his Patreons, bought some of his merch and Sick Boi clothing, so yes Lisa: I can easily donate €10,-- a MONTH for such a charity.
I can easily spare a effing Starbucks coffee _a month_ or a shitty _Burger Menu_ (yikes) and spend that money for a cause. (I actually despise Starbucks as a company just like Spotify, and I don't eat burgers but I hope you get the point).
I agree with you, Lisa: so can many of his fans.
I also understand some had to scrape their cash to afford a CD or LP or download, his merch or even a "Sick Boi Uniform" (which is comfy btw.) ... I'm not talking about you. Lisa's not talking about you.
Anyone who could easily afford a Sick Boi uniform or gets a new iPhone on release, or has a coffee at Starbucks 🤢at least once a week, also has the means to donate _at least_ 1 $ € £ / 1.60 ¥ a MONTH for a lyme disease charity of your choice.
Let that be your 2025 resolution and all years to come.
Google one and start a monthly standing order for your donation. Your thoughts, love and prayers don't finance research. 💰💰 does...
Thank you !
My age is slowly taking its toll. Bones ache, muscles hurt, memories fooling me, but that's just life happening.
I'm lucky enough to have never (really) suffered from mental or physical health issues or some chronic disease but I've gone thru some tough times as a kid of a single working mom myself.
I cannot relate to a lot of what Ren's describing or what many Renegades go through, but I believe I'm empathic enough to "understand" and also "extrapolate" from the mental, social, and physical shit that happened to me during my lifetime. Shit that presumably happens to every person of this spinning ball in one form or another, as a kid, a teen, an adult, and in my case a soon to be senior...
subbed 4 more.
I am so infinitely grateful for your comment, you wouldn't believe...This is exactly the point I'm trying to make and in no regards am I judging anyone on a personal level. Thank you so much for your understanding and the action you're taking locally. And yes the sickboi & merch clothing is amazing and yes I would love to buy more and send it over to renegades who haven't got the means to buy it (I'm sorry for those who felt left out). Our societies function on a profit based standard in almost every domain and we are not able to create change purely on thoughts and prayers, but creating a wave of change implies for each and everyone to contribute just a drop of water not the entire ocean. To push the thought even further, in a global movement this drop doesn't have to be money for everyone, it can come in the shape of time, skills, raising awareness etc.
As someone with chronic illnesses including Lyme and ME... I agree more funding and awareness are needed. But a part of this comes across unnecessarily judgy to me, maybe the people who invest in his merch already are donating to charities. We have no way of knowing. I know I do both. And at the end of the day, everyone has their reasons for where their money goes.
As for getting people to view his videos, his Me vs ME videos are so important, but I'd definitely also show new fans to his chapters videos sice thats what he put out once he had a bigger platform, he didn't redirect people to old videos.
I agree we all need to stick together and try to make a change. If you can donate, please do. If you can spread awareness, please do. I remember last spring or summer one of the groups held a raffle or fundraiser or something and somewhere around £7000 was raised for charities including a Lyme charity. It's good to know the renegades are out there being a rising tide, whether it's through donations or actions.
100%, we need to unite to make changes in the world ♥
I'm really sorry if anything that I said came across in a negative way. I was simply stating something purely factual about some people having resources and others not. In any case, there's absolutely no judgement on my part of what each person does with their own money. I know many individual renegades and groups have done a lot of fundraising ; my statement is just to take notice of the collective power if all the fans where to take action together.
Regarding the videos and his ME channel, as I said in my video, I thought about the number of views and the rawness of the content he decided to show. It paints an extremely accurate visual for people who are not aware of the day to day impact of chronic and auto immune illnesses. I have also talked quite a bit about his "life chapter" videos and redirected viewers to renmakesstuff.
The message I want to convey is purely about how unity in general can bring change and the potential I see in this fan base. Renegades are probably the most dedicated fans I have encountered and to see the amount of support within the groups is amazing.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. Sending you buckets of love and positive energy
I buy as much of Rens Merch as I can afford. I am also up to date buying his albums. Inspired by his health struggles I made a donation to Lyme Disease UK, they're really proud of what Ren is doing to raise awareness.
We need to change the health care systems so that everyone has a fair chance for good healthy lifes.
Do donate to organizations doesn't help changing the health care. People need to be able to get medical care without a waiting list for month, and without going bankrupt because of health issues. This is not an equal system if you can't effort medical treatment.
My cousin died with 43 after she had her third heart attack. She had 2 jobs and some kind of health insurance. But the health insurance went up after the first heart attack, and after the second again. She couldn't effort her meds anymore and still had to work her 2 jobs.
I would not want to live in a system like this and my home country is changing our health system to the worse. Health insurance companies have to much power and this needs to change.
The same goes for education.
I couldn't agree more! If I wanted to debate on all the issues going on with the health care system and our societies, my video would be 48 hours long! :) I have the same beliefs you have about the need for a different system in general to get people the help they deserve. thank you so much for sharing your story, I'm truly sorry you lost your cousin this way. We need open conversations and collective action to bring deep change to dysfunctional systems.
Good topic, will need some thought as to the best way to go about it. So many legitimate charities are falling victim to top heavy bureaucracy which sees a large percentage of donations paying for administration. Finding places where money could go directly to scientific facilities already involved in such research would be ideal.
Rather than lots of smaller donations to a range of places. 2 or 3 really large ones to places involved with existing
research would probably be more helpful.
Lots to think through.
Thanks for starting a worthwhile conversation.
couldn't agree more
Thanks, i am waiting for Ren to get back to us with is idea of somehow creating a new support channel, then I'm all in.
Thank you Lisa! I think you raise a very good point. I spent $184.00 on Sick Boi merch this year. I can definitely afford $20/mo. to donate to Lyme Disease and ME research! Any links you can offer to legit research orgs? 💜💜💜
I linked a few in the video description and in my bio. You can also have a look at my video with Dr Sandal where we discuss the issue at length.
Thanks for this vid and discussion Lisa. I watch most of those videos from him already but I think I dissociated a bit because, of course, a lot of them hit close to home for me. I remember crying recently when I thought about how most people, if they are laying down and have to go to the bathroom, they just get up without much thought and maybe it’s an annoyance at most.. but there are so many times where even walking those 15 feet is so daunting for me and by the time I get back in bed I feel like I did a long run. Seeing him like that hits me sooo hard..
Thank you for doing everything you are doing. Honestly, it means so freaking much to me. I love you, Lisa!!
Thank you Sara, this is exactly why change needs to be made! It's for people like you that I wish we can come to more efficient research funding. I love you too
My thought is that there has to be a focus and specificity to make it effective. The messages to spread awareness and to support organizations related to mental health and chronic illness are in the ether of the community. But one or two specific organizations or research groups need to be targeted and those choices could change yearly or every other year perhaps. If it's the Renegades who are being asked to rally, then Ren, his team, and the Rabbit Hole would be the ones to make the selection. Or possible choices could be put up for a vote by the community if that's preferred. Then the various renegades and groups who are active in promotion would have something specific to promote and renegades would have a specific way to help.
Thanks for the input, it's definitely something to think about as a community and exchange ideas on.
Agree
Great video and and great message, and I applaud your efforts and shining a light on M.E. and conditions that cause M.E. I'm sorry to be a bit of a downer in light of this positive message, but I promise it ends on a very positive note and offers a solution, not just a complaint. The Renegades, as a whole, need to check themselves and make a bit of an adjustment!!
I have been a fan since a little bit before Hi Ren dropped, and have been lucky enough to witness the birth of a star. I can tell ya the first few reactors that started using the word "Renegades" to describe the fan base, and almost the exact date that fans unanimously embraced the name. I was an early member of the FP page the Ren Rabbit Hole, and saw it grow until the toxicity was too much for me. I consume a LOT of Ren reactions, and I follow his career and social media life casually, I know that the bulk of the Renegades have great big hearts, and are filled with empathy and compassion at their core, but group think and mob mentality are tricky little buggers, that infest even groups of people with the best of intentions. I'm not gonna go into the things I see Renegades doing that tarnish Ren's name, I will tell you though that I know for a fact that within the content creators that do reaction videos, it's a well known and discussed issue, along with warnings and tips given to new reactors on how to handle the Renegades. Instead I'll tell you what I don't see, I haven't seen a single Renegade in a long time, mention a single word about M.E., POTS, Fibromyalgia or other autoimmune issues, while they tell reactors what video to do next, or how crazy talented Ren is. If you have the means to donate even a small amount to M.E. research or advocacy groups, then please do it, dog knows funding is vital, but grass roots movements need people power too, hundreds of thousands of nameless people doing thankless things, often very small, to really have the overall movement heard and paid attention to. So...........................
I OFFER THIS CHALLENGE TO ALL RENEGADES AND CASUAL FANS OF REN ALIKE!!!!!!!
If you haven't watched the documentary "Unrest", which features a song from Ren, and a short clip of him, watch it, then get one other person in your life to watch it and pass it on to one other person and so on. If you've seen it, then you're half way there. That's it, easy peezy!!
It's something we can all do that won't cost us anything but an hour or so of our time, it's free to watch on TH-cam. I've seen Renegades very determined and rally together to up the view counts on Ren videos, which is AWESOME!! "Unrest" has a tragically low amount of views, as it sits at 134k views. How many Renegades are there out there? Think if everyone watched it and got one person to watch it, how much we could raise that number, and in this case it's not about the algorithm or hitting a milestone, it's getting the documentary in front of as many eyes as possible, and the right pair of eyes, that have the means or influence to really get behind this issue. Let's put our time and effort where our mouths are and really represent for Ren!! If you made it this far I very much appreciate your time in reading my thoughts on this, have a good day! ✌💚
I totally agree with you and "unrest" has to get more views. It is on TH-cam and I will put the link in the description. Also regarding lyme disease there is also "the quiet epidemic" which is a huge eye opener. Thank you for taking the time
@@lisaandlifeofficial ...You're more than welcome, thank your for the response!
Seeing this again and it still hits as deeply as the first time I saw it , thank you for being a shining light on social media platforms and bringing these into the spot light
The people he is drawing in
so many are relatable and going there own situations your onto something here definitely but what I see is people getting pushed apart and separated by one's one preferences would love to chat to you about how to make this happen if it was done in unity
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment and for your support. Please DM me on my Instagram so we can chat.
Agree
This is the way to raise and spread awareness! Love the action to unite and great compilation that I had not seen. Thank you for this video!
you're very welcome
My exact thoughts!! With a lil note from me, I shared this with FB. RENegades UNITE!!
🌊🚢🎶❤️🫂
Thank u Lisa! For making this video! I’m new to the Renegade’s! Awareness needs more attention 🫶🏼💜💙💛💚💕
@@TarynDenimFanS-tx5im welcome to the rabbit hole 😁♥️
@ Thank you! Lisa!
SO BEUTIFULL BUT SO SAD THANK YOU AGAIN LISA! FOW BRINGING THIS FORWARD AGAIN TO BRING AWARENESS♥♥
+1
from a poor+mental mdfk.
do anything for our Boi and his Eden
thanks for the support. sending you loads of love
God Bless us all because we are fucked once we get sick with anything.
I love that your making these videos. ♥️. It's not about donating somewhere. What Ren talks about is a change in our systems. That's where I think we need to focus efforts. This is what Ren talks about over and over again. Research for cures are typically funded by governments. The percentage that goes into research dwindles down as 25-35% goes to operating expenses. Then depending on the charity, the money goes to education, advocacy, etc. It's still great to give to organizations, don't get me wrong, and its a great choice. But what these terrible diseases need a shift in our governments. It can happen if enough people get fed up and have inspiring leaders. ❤😊
@@sigally very nicely put. Well done.
The most important thing is that conversations are started to bring ideas to the table… I’m not sure how to effectively get a responsible world wide discussion on how to bring change… the one positive thing is that Renegades through groups and the friendships have found ways to make a difference in many of the ways people suffer by support in emotional ways… you are right though so many could make a difference… it’s something so important to so many… I think maybe the reasons for the low views were because they are older videos, but also because they are so painful to many to watch.. I have seen them many times and know they are very emotional… I think so many of his followers are empaths and it can be so overwhelming to them… it is so hard to see Ren so sick….thank you for your channel and for trying to bring more awareness… it is such an important endeavor and near and dear to REN’s heart which most of us feel very close to… 🫶🏻
Thank you so much. If this video can spark conversation and ideas I will be happy about it.
@ ❤️❤️❤️🫶🏻❤️❤️❤️ thank you for your heart… it makes a difference!
Lisa I can appreciate why you made this video and I love and applaud you for trying to raise the issue of the need to raise more funds and awareness. 💛👏👏 However, as someone who has CFS and other illnesses, I already donate a consistent amount to various charities related to this each year. I have seen all of Ren’s “Me vs. M.E" videos, his “Chapters 1 to 8” and the “Unrest” movie too. I often promote them by encouraging others to watch them as well, both privately and in the Ren’s Rabbit Hole Group. My only slight concern with your video is that I think it is a little presumptive to assume that Renegades aren’t already trying to help in whatever way they can afford, whether that is by donating to charities and research organisations, raising awareness of the research out there to others, joining group fund raising activities or campaigning for change. Plus, is it really necessary to judge how people spend their hard earned or saved money? I saved up all year to buy my Ren merch because I knew he was going to be releasing his own clothing line. I don’t have or spend much money, so this was my treat for the year; so because of that I felt your comparison regards spending money on merch and/or donating came across as a little bit judgmental; even though I know this was never your intention.
Dear Beth, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I'm sorry if any part of my video came across as judgy but the statistical reality is that not everyone is doing as much as you are. From all of the people in the following we can assume that only a limited number are invested in these topics and trying to help advance the research. My video is evidently not directed to people like yourself in particular as I am raising the question of a collective action. The point I am making is to acknowledge that even if thousands of renegades are all giving their money or time to a multitude of charities it doesn't make those actions as efficient as would a collective movement.
At no point am I saying that renegades aren't invested in the matter or that people aren't already donating ; The issue being the real impact of a mass donation or investment in comparison to what is happening with a multitude of fundraisers scattered across the planet, I am not judging anyone but raising a fundamental question.
Being a single mother of two, I have limited resources too and can truly relate to you in regards to buying the SickBoi clothes and merch which were my Christmas gifts. I also had to put the money aside to buy them. So I did not at any point compare buying merch to donating, what I did say is that there is a fair percentage of buyers that are probably able to invest a tenner more a year and for those who can't someone else can overtake. As we all (the 2 million of us) have our own different financial situations there is always some solution to balance things out.
I'm sorry if anything I said offended you. I wasn't talking about you or anyone in particular but to us renegades as a whole, as a group. If we would create a collective movement it would be more effective than anything one singular person is doing on their own. The power always resides in people coming together.
@ Thank you so much for understanding my point and clarifying yours. I agree a jointly wholistic and more concentrated effort by Ren’s followers could indeed be more beneficial than lots of smaller/individual ways of raising money. So like I said I do think your suggestion was extremely valid and helpful. I just want to add one other tiny point that many people buying the Sick Boi merch may not have considered or wished to directly donate to help this/these cause at all, but by buying the merch they are indirectly contributing anyway because Ren is obviously donating some of his profits from the merch to the cause.
@@bethstratton3391 Oh yes I'm absolutely sure of that too! Even if the merch & SickBoi revenue doesn't go directly to an organization he'll end up using it for his personal projects to advance the cause that's for sure!!! An excellent point I forgot to make in the video but that I thought of after :) That's the beauty of posting content off the top of your head, sometimes you forget interesting details :)
My intent on buying a cd or tshirt on tbe cheap side ( sure can't afford sick boi clothing) - (nor need it.)is really not for me- it's for Ren to have funds for this topic. I dont need a t shirt nor cd. But if we all poor folk In money do this when we can- Ren can utilize it however he chooses to use it. I am a senior who still works full time to support myself in a crazy expensive place called Southern CA. I just donated to the animals displaced and needing medical care for burns etc for the horrific wildfires north of me. 100% will go to the animals in need. I do what i can. I like the idea of a big donation going one place , but we are all over the world😮. Thanks Lisa for the video and Interviews. Perfect sense to me..
@ what is happening in your state right now is absolutely horrible. I hope you and your family and friends are safe ♥️
Ive been super tired for 20 years from Ulcerative Colitis, the medication i take give more issues, but the issues come with keeping me alive. People dont understand! yes i might look okay, but you build a mask to the pain not to make others upset.
Thank you Lisa for taking up this topic and bringing awareness this was really thought provoking ❤❤
❤ Thank you so much for making this video ❤ I completely agree with you and I do think it's time we start doing more ❤ Thank you ❤ Much Love ❤
Thank you so much for this!!!! It is such a important topic and you‘re absolutely right!!! 💚
Renegade here and i just found this channel (subbed) great stuff
I love Ren's art, thank you god bless xxx
@@robertocarlos-yi1sk thx 🙏 for your support ♥️
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I Love this Lisa!! Keep doing you beautiful 😘
@@BeatrixButton love you too ♥️
I support this. The big question is who to donate to. As a resident of the US, I will not support Big pharma, and my heart breaks for those suffering (I am familiar with the suffering and personally touched by the suffering/ challenges/ changes to life's trajectory that are caused by chronic, incurable illness). I think Ren posted that he's working on a partnership for research, but I haven't seen any updates on that. It's difficult to research, as well (hard to tell who's truly legit).
I have a project I'm working on that obviously has nothing to do with pharmaceutical companies. Stay posted to get the info if you're interested.
Thank you for this video. It's a great idea.💜
So lovely 😊
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Excellent concept. I would be in for $5 a month. Just let me know if someone has the skills and knowledge to set up a non-profit. I would help also remotely in any capacity with in such a organization free!!❤❤❤❤
I'm really sorry to hear about Ren falling ill again. Do you know if he has ever been diagnosed with Celiac disease? He talks about autoimmunity at the end of "Hi Ren" and Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder where the body's immune system damages the small intestine when it comes into contact with gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. In your video, you have a clip of him talking about how cakes (made of wheat) and chips (usually cooked in oil that has wheat flour battered products cooked in it too) affecting him. If you know anyone who has this disease, they can have some of the same symptoms of ME/CFS from the small intestine damage keeping them from absorbing nutrients from the food they eat. The cognitive impairment can be really severe and if someone has one autoimmune disease, they are likely to have one or more other ones.
Ren has MCAS. The video of him saying he could no longer eat cake & chips was made years ago, probably before he even knew what was wrong. He has a very restricted diet of foods that do not contain histamines: organic meat (excepting pork) & poultry, squashes (he calls them aubergines), including cucumber, lettuce, celery & some herbs & spices. He has recently been able to add rice to his diet & made a joke about getting fat on rice cakes.
The problem raising funds as always is .. Where those funds end up ? In the UK there is a different advertisement for a different cause every few minutes on tv asking for £5 or £10 per month so many endless charities and most of the funds are spent on administration greedy CEOs on millions per annum in wages alone and the thing that receives the least funding is the cause itself ..It never makes sense ..If your idea is to work it has to work for the cause and not a cash cow for greedy people ..Ren is an adamant hater of greed
@@iandavison3704 exactly my point yes! I couldn't agree more
@@lisaandlifeofficial My idea would be for all reactors to Rens work is to give a little back by either buying a piece of Rens merch or donating some of their own merch and doing live podcasts and auctioning the merch off and all proceeds go to Chronic illness research ..that means everybody benefits ..like Ren says A rising tide lifts all ships right ? Its only an idea but i think it would benefit a great cause ..My parents always taught me growing up using these words .. It costs absolutely nothing to be nice ..good luck with your future .. love and peace
@@iandavison3704 "so many endless charities and most of the funds are spent on administration greedy CEOs on millions per annum in wages alone and the thing that receives the least funding is the cause itself ..It never makes sense"
Can you point me to the evidence for this ?
@@chrisbodum3621 Quite simple really go and research it yourself like I did .. pick any big charity that comes to mind ..find the CEO concerned and research his income per annum for that particular course or charity ..there are far too many middlemen taking so much for doing little or next to nothing for a huge salary ,
@@chrisbodum3621 I live in Hungary. I am writing this with a translator. When I was a company manager, an organization approached me to support sick, familyless children. I agreed to support a boy with kidney disease. After that, organizations contacted me every day. It turned out that the first company had sold my contact information to other organizations. A representative of one of the organizations revealed that donations were a 30% commission for the organizer, part of it was an administration fee, and a minimal amount for the child. Since then, I have only trusted direct donations. In 2015, we had a refugee crisis. The government did not help, closed the border, and masses of refugees lived on the streets for weeks. UNICEF threw yellow plastic ducks into the Danube, but it did not help the newly needy refugee children. As a civilian, I carried clothes and food to train stations. Organizations like to live well first and distribute the rest. There are probably exceptions, but I don't know much about them.
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