Edwina Bartholomew’s “secret family health battle” refers to her husband, journalist Neil Varcoe, and his reported experience with chronic fatigue syndrome, also called myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS). In interviews reported by PerthNow and 7NEWS in June 2023, the couple described how severe fatigue affected everyday tasks, parenting and household routines—and how they adapted as a family.
What Edwina Bartholomew said about her husband’s health
In a June 2023 report, PerthNow recounted an interview Bartholomew and Varcoe gave to Australian Women’s Weekly. Varcoe said his symptoms began after a virus about five years earlier. He described a sharp loss of energy: “I was sick for about three weeks and my energy went through the floor.”
He also described how limited his capacity could be, saying, “There were moments when I would walk to the end of my street, and I had to turn around and come back home.” The account presents his experience, not an independently verified medical history or a current update on his health.
How the illness affected family life
The couple said Varcoe’s illness changed the way they managed parenting and daily routines while their children were young. Ordinary tasks could become difficult, and the family learned to recognize harder days and adjust expectations. Bartholomew said they accepted help in the mornings rather than trying to manage everything alone.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →She described the path as “very much self-guided,” saying families have to find what works for them. Her comments reflect the couple’s reported experience and the practical decisions they made; they do not establish what other families should do.
What the reports say about approaches that helped Varcoe
PerthNow reported that Varcoe found Chinese medicine and medicinal marijuana helpful. That is his personal account as reported in the interview coverage, not clinical evidence that either approach is effective or appropriate for other people. The reports do not provide a basis for recommending a treatment or a particular product.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this account can—and cannot—tell readers
The coverage is a personal profile about living with reported ME/CFS and its effects on one family. It does not provide a current prognosis, independently verify the medical details, or compare treatment options. PerthNow also stated in 2023 that the condition affects “about one in 100 Australians,” but did not identify the underlying study or its year; that figure should be understood as the report’s claim, not as independently verified or current prevalence research.
PerthNow published its story on 15 June 2023, and 7NEWS published its report on 15 June and updated it on 16 June 2023. Both described the couple’s account from the Australian Women’s Weekly interview. Their reporting is useful for understanding what Bartholomew and Varcoe said about family life, but it is not a substitute for clinical information about ME/CFS.
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