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About my charity
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The Meniere's Society
The Meniere’s Society provides support and information to sufferers of Meniere’s disease. Meniere’s disease is a long term, progressive disorder which damages the balance and hearing parts of the inner ear - symptoms are vertigo, tinnitus and deafness. They also fund research into the causes and treatments for Meniere’s disease.
Charity Registration No
297246
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| Fundraising target: |
£500.00 |
| Donations so far: |
£
380.00
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| My personal message: |
Hi everyone 
Thanks for visiting my fundraising page. I know it's long but please take the time to read the important information below.
I'm taking part in the Southend "Moonlight Colourthon" on Saturday 5 July 2008. It's a half marathon (13.1 miles) walk at night, in which walkers are encouraged to dress as brightly as their imagination will allow, in order to raise money for their chosen charities. It starts from Chalkwell Park at 8pm and goes along Southend seafront, through Chalkwell, past Old Leigh, finishing back at Chalkwell Park. Those of you who live locally and have nothing better to do at that time of night(!) are more than welcome to come along and support us!
I will be walking and raising funds on behalf of the "MÉNIÈRE’S SOCIETY - helping people with vertigo, tinnitus and deafness".
ABOUT MÉNIÈRE’S
Ménière's disease ("MD") is a rare disease of the inner ear and is a long term, fluctuating, progressive illness which damages both the balance and hearing parts of the inner ear.
SYMPTOMS: The three major symptoms are vertigo (giddiness), tinnitus (noises in the ear) and eventually deafness. Other residual symptoms include sensitivity to visual stimuli, headache/migraine, tiredness and sensitivity to sound. Individuals have symptoms with different intensities, variable over time and not necessarily all active at the same time. MD can severely affect the quality of life of the person as it affects their family life and ability to work and travel, leading to a loss of confidence in every day life.
ATTACKS: The main feature is intermittent attacks of vertigo with nausea and vomiting. These attacks can last from a few mintues to 24 hours or longer and can even occur whilst asleep. During the attack, there is variable hearing loss and a sensation of fullness and discomfort in the affected ear. There may be tinnitus or an increase in existing tinnitus in the ear. The fullness in the ear and the tinnitus may precede the attacks of vertigo, but often the attacks occur without warning. The attacks vary in severity and length. There can be giddiness lasting a few minutes to severe rotational vertigo with vomiting, causing the person to lie completely still for several hours. During severe attacks of vertigo, many people also suffer from diarrhoea, palpitations and sweating. Following an attack, many people are exhausted and must sleep. There are periods of remission between the attacks, from days to months or even years. These remissions vary in each person and with time, making MD an unpredictable and distressing illness.
MD occurs in roughly 1 in 2000 people, affecting both sexes and occuring at any age, but most frequently between 20 and 50. There is currently no cure for MD and no clear understanding of how the disease develops; although it may spontaneously go into remission. As the disease is little understood and not common (about 0.1% of the population suffer), medical care and support can vary depending on the patient's location. WHY I'M SUPPORTING THE MÉNIÈRE’S SOCIETY
I've chosen to support the Ménière’s Society because I have a vestibular dysfunction, similar to MD, but, unfortunately, there aren't many charities out there supporting people with vestibular problems. The Ménière’s Society, however, has been invaluable in providing me with information on how to cope with the horrible symptoms that a vestibular disorder causes. MD is not a well known disease and neither are vestibular dysfunctions in general. Through the Ménière’s Society, I've been made aware of just how many people there are out there suffering with this awful disease and also how little understood it is by the medical profession and population in general. I therefore wanted to do something to help the Ménière’s Society continue their invaluable work in providing support to sufferers and their families and to continue their research into the causes and treatment, and most importantly, find a cure, for this terrible condition.
Taking part in this walk will be a physical challenge for me but as well as raising money for the Ménière’s Society, I also wanted to test myself and do something positive. Whether this is a good idea remains to be seen (I'm sure my feet will have something to say about it!) but... you never know what you can do until you try! SO, PLEASE LEND YOUR SUPPORT TO THE MÉNIÈRE’S SOCIETY TOO!
Any amount will be gratefully received! Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: The Meniere's Society will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.
Many thanks to everyone for all your support!
Miranda xx
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