The Quality Team
Steptember 2021 Quality Team
Fundraising for ME Association
Story
As a team we wanted to raise vital funds for the ME Association.
Our jobs are desk based and we struggle to do many steps in day, especially since working from home.
As there are 250,000 sufferers of ME we decided to create Steptember - we are aiming to walk 250,000 steps each. Our team target for steps is 1,875,000 steps in September.
The last year has been a hard year for many people - we wanted to raise funds as our team member Rachel Dixon’s daughter suffers with ME at just 16 years old.
The impact it has had on their life is unbelievable and as a team we wanted to do a little to help the fundraising for vital research into ME/CFS
Words below from Rachel Dixon
Those who know me well, know that I’m not keen on telling the world all my business, but with thanks to my very supportive colleagues at LV, who have set up this fundraiser in aid of my daughter Megan Dixon and others afflicted by this dreadful, little understood illness This is Megan’s story which I share with her permission.
In September 2018, aged 13, Megan developed whooping cough, but despite best efforts, she never got better and this seemingly was just the start of her deterioration with M.E.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) is a long-term (chronic) condition that causes symptoms affecting many body systems including the immune system, but the most common symptoms of ME are post-exertional malaise (even after minimal exertion), profound fatigue and pain. M.E. affects an estimated 250,000 people in the UK, and around 17 million people worldwide. Unlike many other conditions there is no magic pill, treatment or cure.
Those with severe M.E are more disabled in quality of life, than those with MS, strokes, diabetes, renal failure, lung disease, heart failure or cancer and there is less investment in research into this illness or support for patients.
Before this illness, Megan was a very happy, popular, sporty teenager, thriving academically having been entered for all 12 of the top tier GCSE’s and regularly represented her school for netball and hockey matches.
By contrast, in December 2021 Megan will be 17, having been house bound since January 2019 (bedbound for most of that time). Her decline was initially quick and then stabilised for a while, but her illness has meant that she had to leave school and over the course of 2021, Megan’s condition has deteriorated further. She can no longer sit or stand up, she cannot walk, her legs are locked fully extended, she has a headache every day and is in constant pain. More than anything Megan would love to behave like a normal teenager, but her broken body won’t allow this and so this cruel illness has also taken its toll on her mental health. Although before this illness Megan was always positive and she still is a very thoughtful and caring person, with empathy and a selflessness beyond her years, despite her daily battle.
Five weeks ago, Megan was taken into hospital due to her symptoms worsening. Since being admitted she has deteriorated further and now cannot speak or see, awake only 1 hour a day, she is tube fed and her hand is in a cast as her fingers have constricted into a fist,–sadly Megan has the severest form of M.E.
Our lives have literally been turned upside down, no longer can we behave like the happy family we once were. Lockdown was relatively easy for us, as we’d been having our own dress rehearsal for 12 months beforehand, but reality has hit hard since restrictions have been lifted as nothing has changed for us. However, we’ve had some great support from some amazing people that we can’t thank enough but we’d literally do anything to have our beautiful girl back.
Thank you for taking the time to read about Megan’s story. M.E is a very difficult illness to understand, so it is important to raise awareness for Megan and other suffering from this illness. If you have time and would like to know more information please see the ME Association website and if you can manage a donation to this cause, it would be much appreciated.
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