On 14th October 2018 I will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for IiME, a charity that is trying to improve research into ME, or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Before my cousin (pictured with me above!) was diagnosed with CFS earlier this year, I was only dimly aware of the condition, but over the last few months I have come to realise both what a significant impact it can have on people's lives, and also the extent to which it is both misunderstood and under-funded.

ME is twice as common as MS and three times as common as HIV, yet there is currently very little funding for biomedical research into the condition.  Possibly this is to do with misconceptions about the causes and effects of ME, in some cases among medical professionals as well as the public.  Some believe it is a psychological condition, but in reality CFS is a physical illness with clear, clinical symptoms, most usually triggered in response to an infection such as bronchitis, gastroenteritis, or severe "flu-like" illness.  For about 25% of patients, the condition means they are house or bed bound.  

I am therefore running the Royal Parks Half Marathon (and trying to beat my VERY slow PB!) in order to raise both money and awareness of CFS.  I would be very grateful for any support, no matter how small - it will all make a difference.  You can find out more about the charity here: http://www.investinme.org/lander17.shtml or below.

Thank you!

Martha x

Invest in ME Research is an independent UK charity finding, funding and facilitating a strategy of biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS).The charity is run by volunteers - patients or parents of children with ME - with no paid staff.Overheads are kept to a minimum and all funds raised to go to promoting education of, and funding for biomedical research into, ME.Our efforts are focused on setting up a UK Centre of Excellence for ME which will provide proper examinations, diagnosis and in time treatment(s)/cure(s).