Me and a group of friends are doing a sponsored Big Sleep in the woods to raise money and awareness for the neurological disease Myalgic Encephalomyelitis more commonly known as M.E, May 12th is international M.E awareness day and we shall be wearing blue!! All monies are going to Invest In M.E a charity raising money for bio-medical research.

I was diagnosed with M.E at age seven and spent many years bed/house bound as a child and in and out of hospital missing all schooling, this year marks 20 years living with this disease so I wanted to do something to "celebrate" and to help raise awareness!

This disease seriously lacks awareness, funding and proper bio-medical research, there is no treatment yet even though there is thought to be around 250,000 people in the UK alone with it, a percentage of those being very severely affected living in silent darkened rooms to avoid sensory overload and hospitals being tube fed unable to even swallow unaided with the medical profession often giving up on them with there being no treatment. Sadly a number of people have lost their lives due to this.

M.E is a neurological condition that affects pretty much every bodily system, our bodies seem to be fighting themselves! The more we do the worse we feel which is why it is so important to learn to pace ourselves, especially in the early years of this disease and is another reason why we need more awareness so that Doctors, schools, friends and family can be more understanding and not end up doing more damage than good. 

Symptoms include; post exertional malaise (exhaustion and worsening of symptoms during or after activities) , poor cognitive function (confusion, poor balance, dyslexia, poor short term and working memory, loss of words, dyspraxia) , digestive problems (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, multiple food and chemical sensitivities) ,  poor adrenal function resulting in "fight or flight" anxiety problems, muscle spasms, weakness and pain,  internal thermostat problems (hot in winter, cold in summer, night sweats, multiple high temperatures daily, cold extremities) , painful swollen lymph nodes, bruising, sore throat, headaches, seizures, head rushes, blurred vision, low blood pressure, low blood volume, light sensitivity, noise sensitivity, sensory overload...the list goes on and on!

If you could donate even the smallest amount I would be very grateful or it you could share this fundraising page that would be equally fantastic, awareness is just as important as funding!

Lucy :)

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