Hi, my name’s Jerry, and I’m raising vital funds to support the Open Medicine Foundation’s ‘End M.E. Project'. Four members of my family suffer from the debilitating disease Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), so I am all too familiar with just how devastating this disease can be. M.E. is very common, and can affect people of all ages (my daughter has been sick for 23 years, since she was 11).

M.E. patients usually become quickly too unwell to attend school or work, and many are completely bed-bound, often for decades, and can be unable to take part in the simplest of activities (such as watching TV) to distract them from their absolute exhaustion and unrelenting pain. Even the basics of survival such as eating can present a serious challenge, or be impossible for some.

“Research has shown that M.E. has been found to be more disabling than M.S., heart disease, virtually all types of cancer, or undergoing chemotherapy or dialysis” (Prof M. Hooper and E. Marshall).

Because their immune and cardiovascular systems are compromised, M.E. patients are much more likely to get cancer and serious heart problems, than are the general population. Statistics suggest that M.E, patients with these complications, on average, die 24 years earlier than heart and cancer patients who do not have M.E!

Figures show how desperately underfunded M.E. research is - around 20 times lower than that of comparable diseases. If M.E. was granted a level of funding on par with other high-impact diseases, we could quickly see very promising progress.

I have 300 miles of cycling and walking planned so far, and I hope to gain as much sponsorship as possible for M.E. research. Please help to end M.E. and give anything you can. Thank you.