Thank you so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My mum is one of the bravest people I know, and has always done everything within her power to help and support me whenever I've needed it. She's wiped my nose and tucked me in bed when I'm poorly and she's taken my 3am teary phonecalls when I'm down and need someone to talk to. I love my mum with all my heart, and watching her suffering with fibromyalgia breaks my heart because there's little I can do to help, and the worst part is so few people have heard of fibromyalgia let alone understand it, so they don't realise what she goes through on a day to day basis. 

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that affects every aspect of a sufferer's life. It's best known for 'causing pain all through the body', but is much more than that. The pain experienced by sufferers is so intense it's difficult to put into words, and has been described by most sufferers as 'waking up feeling like you've been hit by a bus' and 'feeling as if I'm constantly being electrocuted'. It is unknown what causes fibromyalgia, and there are no specific triggers for the pain; some days sufferers' pain will be at a minimum and they are able to attempt every day tasks, and other days they could be in so much pain they can barely move. There is also no cure for fibromyalgia, and attempting to treat it or relieve the symptoms generally includes visiting several different doctors and physical therapists to test different approaches, and often attempting a variety of different combinations of pharmaceutical drugs, which often leave the sufferer feeling 'zombified' and numb. 

Sufferers' vision can deteriorate due to the all the muscles of the eye being affected by the condition, along with the intense pain it also causes aching of the muscles, chronic fatigue and utter exhaustion; sometimes a task as simple as climbing the stairs of your home can be immensely difficult. Alongside the physical pain, fibromyalgia also has a number of other symptoms, one of the most common referred to as 'fibro fog'which affects cognitive functions; it causes disorientation and the lack of ability to recall information. It can affect the ability to retain new information and can affect the short-term memory.

The symptoms of fibromyalgia generally cause a wave of other problems; people who suffer with fibromyalgia often have to give up work due to the inability to carry out general tasks due to the pain, and also the inability to endure an entire work day without the exhaustion taking over. It is common for sufferer's of fibromyalgia to also suffer with depression, and studies in Spain and Denmark have shown an increased risk of suicide among sufferers. A quote directly from my Mum is 'I find myself mourning for who I used to be'.

Relationships are often severely damaged due to the symptoms of fibromyalgia and the lack of understanding people have about the condition; because people with fibromyalgia don't 'look sick' people generally think they're exaggerating or being lazy, and when they struggle to take in what people are saying it is assumed that they're just not listening. This is why it is just as important to raise awareness for this horrendous condition as it is to raise the desperately needed funds for research into developing treatments and eventually cures. 

I chose this charity because I feel the work it carries out can directly affect my mum in a positive way, and it can do this more so with more support and recognition. 

I'm terrified of heights, and I don't like feeling unsafe or feeling like I don't have control. This is why I chose to bungee jump; even the idea of bungee jumping scares me, and the idea of jumping from a crane creates feelings of stress, fear and uncertainty. These represent just a few of the emotions my mum has to deal with on a daily basis, and I want to do everything I can to raise as much awareness and as much money towards helping out people like my mum who have fibromyalgia as much as I possibly can.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.