I never thought I would ever have to do this but then again I never thought that I would have an illness that would destroy my life.

I dream that someone can find it in their heart to make a real difference in my life as well as the livh life left to live, so many places to go.

I was sick for a long time before my diagnosis with little illnesses that would hardly affect others but they would leave me wiped out. I was officially diagnosed with ME in December 2012, the first person I called was my Dad who was in Thailand at the time and I don't think either of us expected it to ever be this bad.

It had been a tough few years on the run-up as I had also been diagnosed with Endometriosis. In the hope of giving me a better quality of life, my Consultant decided it would be best to put me into medical menopause. As I was only in my thirties at the time coming to terms with questions about our plans to extend our family hit me hard. It all seemed to be so final. After your body swelling so much additional weight gain and a medical procedure called a D&C, the last thing I felt was sexy or desirable. In the end, I was fitted with a coil and put on medication to help control the bleeding.

The thing is ME hasn't just destroyed my life, it has also destroyed the life of my Husband and Daughter. Rebecca knew how to clean a home, cook a three-course meal, clean our clothes as well as ironing them all perfectly at the age of 10. She took on so much. My Husband works full time only to come home and take over from Rebecca. It does also mean that if I end up at the hospital he is by my side and on more than one occasion he has gone into work straight from the hospital chair at my side.

Relying on anyone so young has been hard but being pushed in a wheelchair by my Husband made me feel worthless. I had always been the one who looked after him. I worked full time and still came home to cook a meal from scratch, I kept our home immaculate all with a small child. So to have to ask anyone to do anything hurt my pride, I had spent all of these years being independent even teaching it to Rebecca and now I couldn't even get up the stairs in my home without help. Rebecca is very slim and I am overweight so hearing her struggling to push me about hurt so badly. I felt like a burden.

I was lucky enough to qualify for a motorised wheelchair to help me get about. I was so excited to get that chair as I couldn't wait to go shopping with Rebecca without feeling like a burden to her. My dreams of walking hand in hand with My Husband had changed a little to me in my chair and him walking but I knew that the dreams of getting old and holding hands again were now realistic. I couldn't wait. So when I asked about how I get it into a car only to be told you can't, felt like a blow to the head. All of the things I wanted to do felt like a million miles away again.

Which is why I am asking for your help. I am looking to purchase an automatic wheelchair accessible vehicle. As we only have one income I just can't afford to do the mobility scheme, money is just too tight as I know it is for so many others right now.

I have missed so many years, I just can't miss anymore so please I beg you to help me. I am desperate as Rebecca goes into her final year of University this year and more than anything I want to be there. I have missed so much of her life already from teachers evenings to school and college performances. I need my life back, my independence, I want to feel like me again.

I appreciate that not everyone will be able to give so instead I ask you to share this. I pray that someone somewhere will find it in their heart to give me back my life.

The car I need

I just wanted to give a little more information on the type of car that I need.

I need the car to be an

*automatic

*low mileage

*5 seats

*ramp

*large enough to fit a Quickie Q400 powered wheelchair

I know that there are lots of cars out there which are cheaper than the one I really want but I want to be able to get this car and keep it for a long time. Unfortunately lots of cars suitable for my needs have been used as taxis so they have very high mileage.

I need this car to be reliable and to last my family for a very long time.

After searching and searching I found that the Volkswagen Caddy and The Ford Tourneo would fit my needs.

I would use my 2010 Ford Focus as part exchange or sell it and add the money to the cost of the new wheelchair accesible vehicle. This would allow me to be looking at upwards of a 2015 model obviously by shopping around for the best deal at this sort of price point would be absolutely a dream come true.

My chair is a powered wheelchair as it is a very heavy chair it is not something I could use a winch for it then fit it in the boot space it's just too big. I would need to go up a ramp which goes onto a car with a lowered floor.

My chair is amazing and has been chosen for me and my needs so I can tilt the seat back to relieve pressure on my hips, the seat rises to allow me to fit under a table for instance. However it is high as it has a support for my head.

I appreciate all help and donations as I know one day soon my life will change due to this page and I can not wait 🥰🥰

My Chair

Ford Tourneo

This sort is perfect, mileage is low. It has 2 seats in the front then 3 in the back, my chair would then go up the ramp and sit behind the 3 seats. The ramp then goes up and the back door closes.

Making a difference on social media

I try to help others with ME by sharing my life as well as setting up groups on social media. So if you are reading this and need help please find my Facebook page as well as our Facebook support groups linked below

Alisha Whittam Facebook

Alisha Whittam YouTube

Alisha Whittam Instagram

Friends with ME Global Friends with ME Global was set up in the hope of helping people all over the world by just offering friendship

ME Awareness North West

Friends with ME North West I am from Liverpool in the UK and I have been so fortunate to find others with ME by putting myself on social media and seeing that blossom into days of action. Being able to meet someone else with ME changed my whole perspective. Realising that my abnormal life was normal for others gave me a whole new reality, I knew that for the first time ever I could talk about a symptom and someone else understood me. I want to do so much more for my local ME community and I know being my best self I can do so much more.

ME Pyjama Party Being bedridden cuts you off from so much but being bedridden with ME means that every single thing you do is a huge effort. I felt so alone for so long when I was first diagnosed with ME and while it was amazing reading of the feats some people carried out to raise money left me feeling excluded. I couldn't do a walk or run and I could no longer work so I couldn't involve work friends or colleagues, so I thought about what I could do. At the time the only I could do was lay in bed in my pjs so I thought why not start a virtual PJ party, something that every single person could get involved in regardless of how ill they are. To be involved with The ME Pyjama Party all you have to do is upload a pic in your PJs to social media, if you are able to you can raise money for your favourite ME charity but for me setting up that day of action was to give ME a face not just a statistic and one day I know that #MEPJParty will be trending worldwide. See I don't want to be just a statistic and I think it's time we changed that.

Proud & Disabled I want to do more for people with disabilities by raising awareness of the world we live in. Sometimes a new perspective of the world can bring about change and this is something I want to focus on when I am able to get out more.

My Tik Tok - Alisha Whittam Tik Tok

My new Youtube channel - Alisha Whittam YouTube

My daughter and I have set up a shop to raise awareness of myalgic encephalomyelitis and disablities.

My Daughter has been helping me focus my energy on designing fun items like mugs and phone cases to help raise awareness of ME as well as Disability in general.

Each item sold will donate 50 pence to help people with ME in my local area at first it will help maybe buy biscuits for our groups meetings (more about that once COVID is no longer a threat) or to send a birthday card or flowers, a gift card for a supermarket to allow you to treat yourself along with your weekly shop.

We have so many ideas and can't wait to help people who are having a difficult time mentally or physically.

We want to also do things like encourage family fun days, maybe a day out to Knowsley Safari Park as ME affects the whole family, I know just how much it affects my Husband and Daughter and how much time we have lost as a family, time we will never get back.

I just want to make a difference.

You can help support me, my Daughter and The ME Community around me by shopping at Alisha Whittam Shop