My Story

I am running the Great North Run for the ME Association in support of my wonderful friend Alice.

Alice is 26 years old and has very Severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). ME has put Alice's life at risk.

Alice and I met at Newcastle University Athletics club in 2016 and fast became close friends. We have run relays together, dressed up as pop stars, slept in a flooded tent, cycled at 1AM, danced to ABBA, 'studied' together and travelled across the UK and beyond. She's an incredibly kind, funny and generous person - there's no wonder her family nickname her Beamer.

ME is a serious, multi symptom chronic illness. It affects the central nervous system, the immune system and causes dysfunction of cellular energy metabolism. 

Symptoms vary. They include extreme fatigue, cognitive difficulties, sensory hypersensitive, heart and blood pressure issues, problems with sleeping and a range of various physical symptoms such as muscle and nerve pain, headaches, sore throat, feeling dizzy and heart palpitations. When it is severe, as is the case for Alice, ME can confine people to bed. 

If you had never heard of ME before now, you aren't alone. I hadn't either until Alice first mentioned it back in 2020. There's far too little research and widespread knowledge about ME - this isn't good enough. 

Myself and a group of Alice's friends and family are running the Great North Run in September to raise money for charities that put ME/CFS in the spotlight. 

We wish to raise as much awareness as possible of ME. Please sign this petition to help raise awareness of ME.

Donating to the ME association will go toward funding for vital research, support for individuals with ME and their loved ones, as well as awareness and lobbying campaigns. The ME association recently influenced important changes to NICE guidelines regarding the ME patient experience. However, there are still more changes to be made, which is why further support is crucial.

ME has put my friend's life at risk, and it is affecting the lives of more than 250,000 people in the UK who live with ME/CFS too. 

Please donate if you can and share this far and wide.

Some further information about ME from the ME association website:

• ME/CFS can lead to long-term disability and a low quality of life 
• It often presents as a complex post-viral fatigue syndrome (PVFS) triggered by an infection that dramatically impacts a person's ability to complete everyday tasks and to mobilise normally.
• There are no effective drug treatments
• Convalescence and appropriate self-management can help stabilise and improve functional ability over time. 
• Complete recovery from ME/CFS is rare.

Thanks for reading this!

See Alice's family and friends fundraiser for Action ME here: https://greatnorthrun2023.enthuse.com/pf/alices-squad?fbclid=PAAaZVKNvOGGImty6Rla8QorpYEspGduKfQ5_DNZoMl9RyM-R4z2odNXUuaqY_aem_th_AUGeosdUYRxYvtxIJNPq1sqRDl8zJt_s9k8UBYLJz71ZsU0uuz0cgazmpC2WizlTDHw