I am raising funds to find a cause and a cure for the debilitating chronic illness of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E), of which mum has. I am so gutted that my hard-working, motivated and talented mum has ended up with this horrible illness that is M.E, and I am desperate for a cure to be found for her and others! 

I will be completing a short walk up the Mount in Tauranga on 25th May as my fundraising endeavor. It doesn't sound like much, but unfortunately I have been ill for over a year so it will still be a bit of a challenge. Please give generously! I would love a cure to be found for my wonderful mum, and also in case I get M.E as I currently have all the markers and risk factors. 

M.E is a disease that has a lot of stigma attached to it, with the cause often being thought to being psychological. However, anyone who has had any experience with M.E, either by working with someone with it or experiencing it themselves knows this not to be the case. M.E is an invisible illness, meaning that it is often very difficult to tell that an individual is suffering from it. The symptoms however are very real and can be very debilitating. Symptoms include but not limited to: extreme fatigue, brain fog, muscle pain, muscle weakness, dizziness or nausea. Some individuals even experience bouts of paralysis. 

One "meme" I found that explains M.E in an easy to understand manner goes like this: "You have the flu, you have a hangover, and you've just run 5 miles. How do you feel? Like someone with M.E."

Jennifer Brea of ME Research UK believes that only biomedical research can find the causes of ME/CFS, improve diagnosis and treatment, and, ultimately, arrive at a cure. But research is expensive and becoming more so every day. That’s the challenge we face, and that’s why we need your help.

Please contribute to finding a cure for this horrible illness, click on the link to donate! 

Thank you :)

Shayna