When a close family member of Vicki and Bill Boies was in high school, the person developed symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). After unsuccessful treatments for years, the family member eventually was referred to Peter Rowe, at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, for evaluation.

The teenager “was very sick, and [Rowe] told our family at that time that he would never give up, and he hasn’t,” says Vicki. This was in the 1990s, and the Boieses were so impressed that they’ve been supporting Rowe’s work ever since through various gifts, including at one point the earnings from Vicki Boies’ clinical psychology practice.

“He was so available and helpful and concerned about an illness at a time when there really were very few doctors who were at all informed or paying attention, and people were facing a lot of misdiagnoses,” adds Bill Boies, a partner and senior counsel for a large law firm. “Peter was very innovative.”

Along the way, Bill says, “we have worked with sophisticated fundraising people at Johns Hopkins who were very good about coming to us with updates on Peter’s work, and specific suggestions about what he could accomplish next with some more funding.”

The Boieses have also become advocates for other patients impacted by ME/CFS. For the past 15 years, Vicki has been a board member for the Solve ME/CFS Initiative (Solve M.E.), a nonprofit organization that supports research on diagnostics, treatments and cures for ME/CFS, long COVID and other infection-associated chronic conditions. Bill has recruited attorney colleagues from his firm to do pro bono work for the organization’s efforts in medical research and regarding contracts.

Vicki Boies recalls that when she was getting ready to introduce Rowe for an award he was receiving, she spoke with Solve M.E. colleagues who also had family members treated by Rowe.

“One of the women said that every single patient of Peter’s thinks that he or she is Peter’s favorite patient,” says Vicki. When she mentioned this to her family member who had been sick, they replied, “Well, I am!”

“The illness is so debilitating, and involves so much loss of various kinds to people. The fact that he can be so empathic but also cheerful and funny … he’s a lifesaver,” she adds.