I was diagnosed with M.E. back in 1995 during my first year at uni after having pneumonia.

What is M.E.? That is a big reason why I am doing this - to raise awareness of this illness. It is shocking that after all this time, very little is known about M.E. and no cure has been found.

M.E., also known as CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), is a debilitating physical illness - it is not something that is imagined in the mind, it is not some kind of "yuppie flu" as it used to be referred to. At its worst, your muscles and joints ache and throb such that simple tasks such as walking up a flight of stairs are no longer possible. Your body becomes overwhelmed with fatigue and your mind "switches off" to such an extent that holding a conversation requires too much concentration.

I was incredibly lucky - the illness was diagnosed very early and I was fortunate to stumble across a form of remedy that worked for me within a year. This meant that I was able to continue with a "normal" life. Many others are not so lucky - continually battling with this illness for decades, losing out on important parts of their childhood, not being able to continue with their jobs, missing out on participating in activities with their children.

The more awareness, and money, we can raise for M.E., the more chance we have of finding a cure and ensuring future generations don't lose quality of life to this illness.

Please do give whatever you can to this cause - I really appreciate it.

Many thanks,

Jon.