New Invisible Illness Support Group Launches in Portland
New Invisible Illness Support Group Launches in Portland
A new support group for people living with invisible illnesses is launching in Portland this January, offering a safe, understanding space for those often overlooked by traditional health and social services.
FOGGYS – Invisible Illness Support, founded by Deb Cooke, will begin meeting at YMCA Portland, Reforne, on Tuesday 13 January 2026, running from 1pm to 3pm. Meetings will take place on the second Tuesday of every month.
FOGGYS is dedicated to raising awareness, providing peer support, and promoting positivity for people living with a wide range of invisible conditions. These include anxiety, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, long Covid, M.E. (Myalgic Encephalopathy), arthritis and rheumatic conditions, IBS, chronic widespread pain, myofascial pain, Ménière’s syndrome, trigeminal neuralgia, seasonal affective disorder, polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis.
Deb Cooke originally founded FOGGYS in Swindon in 2010, after struggling to find anyone locally who understood what it was like to live with fibromyalgia and other invisible illnesses.
“At the time, I didn’t know anyone else with fibromyalgia or similar conditions,” Deb explains. “FOGGYS grew out of that isolation – a need for connection, understanding and shared experience.”
Five years ago, Deb moved to Portland, but the Swindon FOGGYS group continues to thrive and is still managed remotely.
After waiting several years to see if a similar friendship or support group existed locally, Deb decided it was time to take action herself.
“I’ve been trying to find a friendship group and waiting to hear if there were other groups in the area,” she says. “After five years of waiting, I realised there was a real need here too – so extending FOGGYS to Portland felt like the right thing to do.”
The Portland group aims to be informal, friendly and inclusive, offering a place where people don’t need to explain or justify their symptoms, energy levels, or limitations.
FOGGYS Portland is open to anyone living with an invisible illness who would benefit from shared understanding and community support.
For more information, contact support@foggys.net or visit
www.foggys.net/portland