Sarah Bearpark

Sarah's Coast to Coast Cycle Ride

Fundraising for IiME
£790
raised of £400 target
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
Coast to Coast Cycle Ride, 2 August 2015
IiME

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1153730
We fund biomedical research into ME to create a strategy for cure/treatment

Story

In December 2011 I had a viral illness.  In January 2012 I developed Post Viral Fatigue, which eventually became Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ Myalgic Encephamylitis (CFS/ME).  It has taken me 3 years to recover from this horrible illness.  Very little is understood about the condition and research is desperately needed to enable proper diagnosis and treatment.

My whole life was affected by my illness.  I lost my job, I could not care for my family, or myself and I could only socialise for very short periods of time.  I could not walk or stand for long - I couldn't stand long enough to have a shower for 18 months. 

I relied on a wheelchair, mobility scooter and electric bike to get around.  When I was lying in bed I vowed that if I recovered I would cycle the coast to coast (C2C) route.  I have been a Sustrans supporter since the 1990s and have always wanted to cycle this route.  

One of my major symptoms was Post Exertional Malaise.  This meant if I overdid my activity on one day I would be weaker the next day and able to do even less.  A multi-day challenge like this will be a real test of my recovery.

On our summer holiday last year I managed to cycle 16 miles in a day, and this got me thinking that the C2C route was a possibility.   That 16 mile bike ride is still the furthest I've done since my illness.  I will begin training soon  so that hopefully the 20-30 miles per day over hilly terrain will be manageable.

I will be cycling with my family, the youngest of whom will be 9 years old, so I won't be the only one thinking that 25-30 miles a day is a long way.  

Our route will be as follows:

Day 1: Whitehaven to Keswick

Day 2: rest day in Keswick

Day 3: Keswick to Penrith

Day 4: Penrith to Alston

Day 5 Alston to Consett

Day 6 Consett to Sunderland

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About the charity

IiME

Verified by JustGiving

RCN 1153730
Invest in ME Research has, as its objective, to change how myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) is perceived, treated and researched. We do this by raising funding for biomedical research and improving education about the disease. We are currently facilittaing high-quality biomedical research in UK/Europe

Donation summary

Total raised
£790.00
+ £143.75 Gift Aid
Online donations
£790.00
Offline donations
£0.00

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