I'm going to take part in the Parallel Windsor, a Hybrid event to celebrate disability inclusion. My aim is to walk 1km. 

I know what you're thinking, 1km isn't that far for most. But at the moment, I can only really manage 0.5km across a day. Details below. 

Resting and pacing is key to ME/CFS. I'm aiming for 1km but I will only do that if my body lets me. So be aware, you may be donating for a shorter walk. 

I've been ill for over a year now and, while tests and investigations are ongoing, it's likely I have ME/CFS. I woke up one day feeling like I had no energy at all. My mental health hasn't always been great so it was assumed to be a depressive episode. Fast forward one year and I have trouble walking, sitting/standing up, doing too much in a day. Some days I can function, others I will have to spend the whole day in bed. 

ME/CFS can take an average of 7 years to diagnose, has only recently had damaging treatment removed from the guidelines and is usually dismissed by a lot of people. 

Even if it turns out to be something else, the ME/CFS community needs investment and research into why so many people are losing their life to a debilitating illness while their medical tests show that there's nothing wrong. 

You can read more about ME/CFS here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-cfs/

About Invest in ME Research

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 to go to promoting education of, and funding for biomedical research into, ME. Our 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).