On Saturday 1st September, I shaved my head. That was 14 inches of hair off! You can watch what happened here:
https://www.facebook.com/day.zee.14/videos/2000987336588670/ 

I shaved my head for an amazing cause: the ME Association’s Ramsay Research fund, which funds biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, or ME. ME is an unpredictable neurological disease. No one knows what causes it, how to treat it or even how to effectively diagnose it. Biomedical research can change that, but right now it’s seriously underfunded.

My friend Natalie is one of the 250,000 people in the UK who have ME. This is what she said about why supporting this cause is so important:

“ME usually starts with an infection that never seems to get better. Debilitating symptoms like exhaustion, pain and dizziness have a massive impact on daily life, causing a higher level of disability than diseases like cancer and multiple sclerosis. 25% of people are bedridden all or most of the time.

“When I first got sick, I missed out on school. I worked hard to study at home so I wouldn’t fall behind, and I got into medical school. It was a huge achievement – I was one step closer to my dream of becoming a doctor. But after two years at university, I got sick again and had to drop out. It was devastating.

“I’m not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people have stories just like mine. But the ME Association are funding promising biomedical research into how defective mitochondria may cause the condition. This could lead the way to faster, more accurate diagnosis, effective treatments and even, one day, a cure.

“That’s where your money can help. In the UK, nearly all biomedical research is funded by charities, not the government, so they need your support. The Ramsay Research Fund is a restricted fund, so your money will go only on research – not administration or support, just research.”

We set a fundraising target of £1,000, but with ME research so underfunded, any amount we can give will make a difference. Thank you so much for your support!