A Full Clinical Trial
of a Treatment for CFS/ME

The point is, the clinic is currently undertaking a full research trial with the aim of demonstrating that they have an effective treatment for this illness. It is not a cure for all (yet!), just to be clear, but it does make a difference. This trial is basically about testing their treatment protocol with a view to gaining the recognition necessary to be able to offer
this treatment through the NHS.

You can read the full details of the trial at this link: http://www.theoptimumhealthclinic.com/research-overview/clinicaltrial/

Currently, the treatment is only available privately. It isn’t cheap when you’re unable to work. In my experience, trying to claim state benefits is nigh on impossible because of the stigma attached to the illness.
Despite the clinic’s best efforts to keep treatment affordable and to give so much help and advice for free, this remains out of reach for many people. So, this trial alone could bring huge tangible benefit to a lot of people.

The clinic doesn’t have all the answers yet, but they are committed to continuing to seek them. So, the only way that can happen is by funding their quest for knowledge.

For the next stage of the trial, the clinic needs to raise £50,000. During this stage, they will be taking an agreed number of patients and putting them through the clinic’s treatment program for a year. So, this funding will be covering the cost of that treatment. If you like to know more precisely what your donation could go towards, then here are three examples:

£100 will provide supplements for one patient for one month 

£390 will provide medical screening (ie, tests) for one patient

£565 will pay for one part of the clinic’s treatment programs – the 90 Day Program – for one patient

Why am I doing this?

I’m not necessarily going to benefit directly from this fundraising. I won’t be one of the people participating in the trial, so I continue to pay for my own treatment. I’m doing this because I want to help others and to give
back to the people who are helping me. More than that, I want answers. I desperately want this illness to be understood, so I and my fellow sufferers can stop one of our battles. It is hard enough battling an unwilling body day in day out. So, if I could stop having to battle a society that keeps telling me this isn’t real and I just need to pull myself together, that would be amazing. 

So, I hope my story makes you think. I hope it might give you a reason to try and win the cupcake. Maybe you now see that little cupcake as a symbol of something bigger. Or maybe you just see it as a cute little trinket. To me, it is both. It expresses fun and joy. Without holding onto the lighter side of life, I would have given up years ago. It is also a symbol of my journey with all its up and downs. 

Either way, I would be incredibly grateful if you could make a suggested donation of £2 (or whatever you can afford) and guess the number of beads it took to make it. 100% of the donations are going towards funding the clinical trial. So, by having a bit of fun, you could get a cupcake where the materials alone cost around £40, along with 10 hours of love creating the piece, but most importantly you could make the world of difference to thousands of people. Thank you.

Why a cupcake?

In the beading world, I have become known for making beaded food. I’m not sure where this fascination comes from. I certainly find it a fun
challenge to replicate the colours and shapes. But I have also wondered whether it has something to do with the fact that part of managing my symptoms comes down to diet. So, there are a lot of foods I can no longer eat…mostly cakes and sweet treats, actually. For someone with a sweet tooth, that is quite a challenge! So, I may be expressing a subconscious desire for cake through my beading! Or maybe I just enjoy making fun, whimsical items…