Would you shave your head for ME?
Today Sarah Summers from St Austell has done something that few will ever dare to undertake. In the name of an important charity that affects her family she has had her shoulder length hair shaved completely off!
Sarah's mother suffers from ME and her involvement in this fundraising has been directly affected by how she has seen her mother's condition change day by day for many years. What is so prominent to Sarah's message is that the goal of her fundraising has not just been to raise money. It’s a condition that has few or no external signs to others. As a result those who suffer can go unnoticed and therefore her aim has been to vitally raise awareness about ME as a condition.
So simply put what is ME? Ok take a breath and try to pronounce this... Myalgic Encephalomyelitis is characterised by a range of symptoms from mental and physical exhaustion, muscle pain, cloudiness of thinking and trouble sleeping. The lists are extensive so this is just a snippet and no one knows what the causes are.
Just imagine how difficult some of these symptoms could be to live with. Personally I need my sleep and the thought of my body not allowing me that or constant feeling tired is scary. You wake up to a feeling that you have already done a full days hard work, you ache and you haven’t yet got out of bed. You may need to get work, you may have dependants that rely on you and no one could know what you are going through. It must be not only be depressing but also extremely frustrating for those who have to do it alone.
Sarah’s hard work and support from her family has even reached the M.E associations website which is amazing! But we want everyone to share this story and help educate others about what ME is and where to go if you need support.
Well done Sarah, everyone is very proud of you, no one more than your mum. To read Sarah's story, see how much she’s raised or even make your own contribution just follow this link to her donation page https://goo.gl/JmezX8
If you think you are affected or know someone who is affected by ME check out the following link for symptoms, management and additional support.