My brother & sister in law have kindly volunteered to undertake the Deal Boxing Day Dip to raise some much needed funds for the very small local charity I support, Fibromyalgia in Shepway Group.
Fibromyalgia in a incurable chronic pain condition, that leaves its sufferers, which includes me, in constant pain and suffering from associated disorders, such as memory problems, arthritis, depression, weakness, numbness, spinal problems, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue, just to name a few.
A few of us set up this charity, affiliated to FMA UK, about 6 years ago, with funds raised from various activities, such as raffles, donations, dips, comedy evenings and with some help along the way from the local and area councils, Asda green token collections, Skipton Building society.
Funds however are running low, and the group desperately wants to obtain some hydrotherapy sessions and alternative therapies such as acupuncture to offer some pain relief, as these treatments prove too costly if paid for privately, as sadly NHS chronic pain services have been cut drastically.
I never thought I would end up medically retired from a long civil service career at the age of 44, and be unable to care for myself and family properly. The support of the group has helped me cope with such a debilitating illness, which is not widely talked about or acknowledged. Therefore, I will do everything I can to get this awful condition fully recognised by the medical profession, and where possible fight for treatments, that helps relieve some of the symptoms, and enable my fellow fibromites to have something to look forward to.
So if possible, please support the group by donating anything, no matter how small.