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Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page! I am taking part in the Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 22nd April 2012 to raise money for a charity that is close to my heart, Action for M.E.   My beautiful sister Angela (aged 27) has suffered with M.E. for half of her life.  M.E. has had such a profound effect upon her over the years, both physically and mentally, and the severity of her symptoms fluctuate unpredictably from day to day: Sometimes she has to decide between brushing her hair or walking down the stairs to eat her breakfast, as she simply does not have the energy to do both;  At times, she is too drained to even talk;  When she does feel well enough to socialise, she often pays for doing so by being bedridden for days, sometimes even weeks, to recover.  It breaks my heart to see the frustration she has endured which inevitably affects her well being.    What sufferers find the hardest is the isolation that M.E. brings, particularly due to their limits in forming and keeping relationships, as it is difficult for others to understand what they have to sacrifice.  There are so many misconceptions about M.E. that others often think of suffers as lazy or miserable, which can lead to people giving up on them.  When the truth is they simply have no control over their symptoms and such thoughts are extremely hurtful.  I myself was initially ignorant about M.E. but have now seen with my own eyes just how real an illness it is, with its debilitating effects and constant relapses.  Angela is currently well and remains positive, but still has to be so cautious.  I am incredibly proud of how far she has come, and feel honored to be able to run the London Marathon to raise funds for such an important charity.   Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and completely secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. It’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.   So please dig deep and donate now. Thank you so much.    For more information about M.E please continue to read below.   M.E. stands for <a href="http://www.actionforme.org.uk/children-and-young-people/12-years-and-under/common-questions-about-me/what-does-me-stand-for##">myalgic</a> encephalomyelitis. The illness is usually triggered by a virus, and in many cases this leads to serious physical disability and total dependency on others, becoming bed-ridden and housebound. Common symptoms include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, aches and pains, confusion, insomnia and digestive problems.   Those affected by M.E. can often feel helpless and isolated. Due to the lack of medical knowledge there is no clear path of treatment or care. Not knowing what to do is agonizing, and there is a desperate search to find effective treatment. As the illness has not yet become fully recognised and understood, people with M.E. also become excluded from society.   A lucky few people recover enough to lead a 'normal' life, but the statistics show that in the UK most of the 250,000 people affected by this debilitating illness never fully recover. I wish to help Action for M.E. in their continuing research and provision of support to those who are suffering from the condition.   Action for M.E. is working hard to produce the UK’s first biobank for M.E., making resources available for the kind of fundamental research necessary to establish the causes of the illness and develop more effective treatments.   As well as funding research, Action for M.E. produces publications and campaigns hard to raise awareness of M.E. The charity is committed to doing everything within its power to ensure that people with M.E. are provided with advice and support throughout their illness.

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