Story
My name is Jim Taylor and i am trying to raise funds for a friend of mine, who i served with in the Royal Air Force. Phil is a 12 year Veteran of the RAF and has recently been diagnosed with Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis with POTS and COPD.
My plan is to walk a mile a day from now until the end of April (hopefully reaching 50 miles) to try and raise awareness of this and to raise as much money as possible. It would be great if you could sponsor me or donate.
This is what Phil has had to say:-
Hi,
I can't thank you enough for contemplating helping me.
My name is Phil, I am 58 years old with 2 daughters and 2 grandchildren. I served in the RAF for 12 years stationed at RAF Brize Norton, RAF Bruggen and RAF Lyneham as a Supply Controller. Loved it and miss it, especially those I worked with.
My condition is severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis with POTS/COPD which means I can walk about 10 steps with sticks before exhaustion. I am bedridden for at least 80% of my day as it affects my muscles, nerves, brain and immune system.
My muscles hold almost no charge (like a dead battery) and I have to be helped with just about everything as I can't make so much as a simple coffee without getting out of breath.
I've had this building up for years, but it was never identified correctly by GP's or hospital stays until Christmas 2023. The condition became chronic in August 2023 and ever since I have hardly left the house.
We have had no help from the council as there is an 8 months waiting list for an initial assessment of needs, and even then, there is very little help available due to the the current climate.
I am unable to get any help from any of the veterans charities until the initial assessment has been carried out which means it is likely to be at least 12 months before any help would come.
My partner, Shirls, is working long hours to pay the bills and we have nothing spare to buy an electric chair, which I need to get out of the house when I can.
Shirls has difficulties with her knees so pushing me around in a normal Wheelchair is not an option.
It's been a shocking journey and very scary for us both, this has been compounded by the lack of help we've had from those who exist to support you in these situations.
Since the New Year I have left the house only twice for brief periods and with great support and effort. I do really miss it.
A motorised chair would go a long way to helping me get out of the house and although there are many pieces of equipment I need, this would have a great benefit for both myself and my partner.
I just wanted to add that helping Phil means a lot to me and I’m determined to do everything I can to raise the funds needed.
Thanks for your support, I really appreciate it.
