I’m doing the Wrexham 10K on 27th April to raise funds for Invest in ME Research who are hosting their 17th annual International Biomedical Research Conference and Research Colloquium in the last week of May, at the Genome Centre near Cambridge: https://www.investinme.org/IIMEC17.shtml

My wife and I are full-time carers for our youngest son, who was diagnosed with ME in 2004, when he was 11 years old. He’s 32 now, and very severely affected: in bed all the time, non-weight bearing, needing help with personal care, communicating with difficulty, and with neuro-cognitive / sensory problems which cut him off from the world he wants to inhabit – relationships, sport, literature and music. His life has been taken away by this illness.

There’s a strict cut-off of 90 minutes for the completion of the run, and currently my jog-walk-jog best time is 88! To improve on that, over the next few weeks I’m going to cover 185km, the equivalent distance from our place to Wrexham, and, along the way, talk a bit about why it’s worth it.

One event my wife and I always try to attend is the Invest in ME Research annual international biomedical research conference. Just being at the conference, soaking up the atmosphere, hearing about the latest research from around the world (even if the science is a challenge for us!), and rubbing shoulders with the world's top researchers, is something special. It gives us hope and encouragement, and it would be an eye opener for any health professional who has a genuine interest in supporting patients by getting to understand the illness better.

I thought I could use the build up to the Wrexham 10K, and the event itself, to raise awareness of, and funds for, the conference (which is open to all) and the colloquium (the pre-conference scientists only bit). I'd particularly want to reach out to any medics / health professionals / researchers in Wales who might be interested with the offer that funds raised could contribute to their attendance. Please get in touch via my social media pages @500miles4me.

Invest in ME Research is an independent UK charity finding, funding and facilitating a strategy of biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS).The charity is run by volunteers - patients or parents of children with ME - with no paid staff.

Overheads are kept to a minimum and all funds raised go to promoting education of, and funding for biomedical research into, ME. Efforts are focused on setting up a UK Centre of Excellence for ME which will provide proper examinations, diagnosis and in time treatment(s)/cure(s).