This is a very personal appeal, my daughter has her 25th birthday this July, a special day and one that marks that she has been severely disabled by M.E. for half her life. Until the age of 12 she was a keen swimmer and competed in hockey matches, she was achieving well at school and had many friends. Then she was afflicted with M.E., suddenly gravity felt like it was 20 times stronger, just lifting her arms can be a considerable effort, the fatigue is unrelenting, sleep does not refresh her, she is in pain all the time. She had to leave school at age 12.

M.E. has robbed her of her teenage years, her friends, her love of sport, her chance to gain academic qualifications, the possibility of a special relationship and her dream of one day having children. Without a medical breakthrough her life looks very bleak. I asking you to help give her hope of a healthy future.

There are some promising lines of research but they are desperately underfunded. So in the same month as her birthday, I and two good friends, Pinch and John, are undertaking a three day walking challenge on the Isle of Wight coastal path, from Ryde Pier to the Needles.

We are doing this as a part of Walk for M.E. 2023 to raise funds for M.E. Research U.K. and to give my daughter hope that some day soon there will be a cure.

If you are able please sponsoring us and ask your family and friends to support us too.

Thank you

Alan

(ME Research UK believes that only biomedical research can find the causes of M.E., improve diagnosis and treatment, and, ultimately, arrive at a cure. That’s why research is our focus.

We've awarded 57 grants since 2000 and invested over £2.2million. But research is expensive and becoming more so every day. That’s the challenge we face, and that’s why we need your help.)