Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

Some people do sporting events and some people abstain from certain things in aid of fundraising. My ideas is to give up Facebook, an integral part of my daily communications, for one week from Mon 11th June - Sun 17th June 2012. I am doing this in aid of two charities, this page being for AYME (The Association of Young People with ME). (My other page is here http://www.justgiving.com/FBfreeAIR)

 

AYME supports children and young people from the age of 5 to 26 years old who suffer from the debilitating illness ME (also known as CFS).

 

ME strikes people of all ages, with children possibly gaining the hardest shocks to their lives: previously active children become housebound or (in the most severe cases) even bedbound, unable to cope with their bedroom curtains being open as the light is too much for them. All forms of social life are lost as the pain and lack of energy (which is not refreshed by sleep, especially as the inability to sleep is one of the many ME symptoms) make even essential daily activities impossible.

 

Picture your own youth; the chances are it involved lots of sports, clubs and activities. Now take that all away and imagine not leaving the house for months, being unable to watch TV, read a book or speak on the phone, not being able to see your friends, having to rely on your family to help you dress and wash.... This is the reality for 25,000 children and young people and in total 250,000 people in the UK.

 

The cause of ME is unknown. There isn't a test for it. Nor is there a cure. Living with ME is a daily battle, that can in the luckiest cases last months, but in other cases lasts years or even a lifetime. This is where charities like AYME make an immense difference.

 

AYME:

*runs a helpline to offer advice to sufferers and their families

*creates quarterly magazines for all members including tips and articles of interest to them

*provides an online message board where young people can connect with other sufferers and gain understanding and support from their peers in this way

*runs various schemes to enable isolated members to get in touch with each other and forge friendships.

 

My target is to raise £150 (£10 for each year for which AYME has been operational) in order to help them continue their worthwhile efforts. Beating my target would be fantastic. This is a breakdown of how donations may be put to use:

• £10 could buy material to help volunteers make a teddy for a young person severely affected by ME/CFS helping them feel cared for and supported.
• £35 could pay for cards and letters to be sent to young people bedbound and isolated with severe ME/CFS by an AYME buddy helping them to feel less isolated and lonely.
• £50 could pay for copies of CHEERS to be printed and posted to six AYME members for a year.
• £100 could pay for a young person recovering from ME/CFS to be trained to offer peer emotional and practical support to another young person struggling in a similar situation.
. £150 could help fund the vital emotional support and information provided on the AYME helpline Monday to Friday from 10am to 2pm.

 

 

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally 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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.