Story
<p>Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.</p>
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<p>The charity that I will be raising money for is Fibromyalgia Association UK (FMA UK, Charity number: 1042582), FMA UK is a charity making awareness of the medical condition Fibromyalgia.</p>
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<p>I have decided to do a bike ride from my home in Stoke-On-Trent to the head office of my chosen charity which is based in Stourbridge, a round trip of approximately 100 miles, the exact date of the ride as yet to be decided,however, it will be during WC 17/10/11</p>
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<p>I have decided to do this as my wife and mother are both sufferers of Fibromyalgia. It's very hard to see what this does to my loved ones day by day, the fact that I'm unable to help ease their pain in any way makes it a whole lot harder.</p>
<p>There are thousands around the country and the world who are going through the same thing. This bike ride will hopefully raise awareness and much needed funds.</p>
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<p><strong>Please take the time to read a brief description of what Fibromyalgia is and the effect it has on those who suffer with the condition.</strong></p>
<p><br />Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition of widespread pain and profound fatigue. The pain tends to be felt as diffuse aching or burning, often described as head to toe. It may be worse at some times than at others. It may also change location, usually becoming more severe in parts of the body that are used most. The fatigue ranges from feeling tired, to the exhaustion of a flu-like illness. It may come and go and people can suddenly feel drained of all energy – as if someone just “pulled the plug”. Fibromyalgia is a common illness. In fact, it is more common than rheumatoid arthritis and can even be more painful. If symptoms are severe, however, people may not be able to hold down a paying job or enjoy much of a social life. The name fibromyalgia is made up from “fibro” for fibrous tissues such as tendons and ligaments; “my” indicating muscles; and “algia” meaning pain.<br /><br />The Fact that the majority of people that you could ask, ‘Do you know what Fibromyalgia is?’ and they have no idea shows a lot that this is something that needs to be made aware to many people. It is a condition which mainly only women suffer from, in some cases there are men but it is only a small percentage.</p>
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<p>So please dig deep and donate now.</p>