Hello friends and family around the world!!
As some of you may know my amazing friend Manon, got diagnosed with M.E over 3 years ago. What is M.E? Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is a long-term (chronic), fluctuating, neurological condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems, more commonly the nervous and immune systems. People with M.E. experience debilitating pain, fatigue and a range of other symptoms associated with post-exertional malaise, the body’s inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy.
Why am I climbing a mountain and why is it a good opportunity to raise funds for M.E. research? M.E. affects an estimated 17 million people worldwide. One thing Manon and I have in common (and a cornerstone of our friendship) is our love for travel and adventure. Every morning when my alarm goes off at 5am for my morning training session it is Manon's voice in my head that actually gets me out of bed and out the door. She would give anything to climb this mountain with me or even just train with me. I would like nothing more than for Manon to get up out of her wheelchair to conquer the next mountain I climb with me and funding the research is the first step to get her (and so many others) there.
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).
Thank you to my friends and family who have been supporting me through my training and to the 4 wonderful human beings who will be climbing Mt Kilimanjaro with me.
Thank you in advance for your donations. It will go a long way in changing the lives of 17 million people.
Much love to all of you,
Gary
