Julia Cottam's card launch - raising money for Let's Do it for ME

Julia Cottam's botanical greeting cards are now ready to buy! For every card sold, 50p is donated to Invest in ME's campaign 

'Let's do it for ME'. 

All cards are blank for your own message and professionally printed on top quality card. Sets of 6/12 make a lovely gift! The perfect card or gift for Mother's Day on the 18 March! 

Follow this link to go directly to see all 12 cards, pricing and ordering information... 

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.245675472171848.58172.245669688839093&type=3

Order yours today!

Big Thank You!

Photo of Jan with dad Duncan taken at her
brother's wedding in 2006 (prior to Jan relapsing)

We wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Duncan Laverick who has kindly donated money given to him at his recent well deserved retirement from SABIC (formerly ICI) at Wilton, Teesside. That's both the gift from colleagues and friends along with the company gift he received - a total of £370 plus gift aid of £92.50 giving a grand total of £462.50 towards Let's do it for ME / Invest in ME and the biomedical research centre at the University of East Anglia, Norwich.

Duncan served ICI / SABIC all of his working life in Research and Development in the Wilton Centre and latterly on Olefines 6 on the Wilton site.
We wish him a long, happy and healthy retirement and again thank him for his generous donation towards this much needed research.

Now some of you will have spotted the same surname as our own Super Jan! Yes it's her Dad (I won't write what she said about him!).

Jan has kindly let me (Paul Kayes) write this short thank you as she is in relapse at present and not well enough to do it herself. Maybe because I too worked at ICI Wilton for 27 years of my working life.

Jan Laverick and Jo Best are the two main instigators of the Let's do it for ME Campaign and work (I was going to say tirelessly) for the cause...however as many will know, campaigning is not without its payback for people with M.E. in terms of health. Despite their limitations, they do a fantastic job on behalf of all of us sufferers.

Why Rowan has joined Let's do it for ME ...



Rowan says, "Let's do it for ME!"

"Hi my name is Rowan, I have had M.E. for over 2 years.  What started with a few symptoms of pain and horrendous fatigue, has now escalated into something that has rendered me unable to walk for more than 10 paces before weakness and pain sets in, and I have to sit down there and then. The same happens to my arms, which means I have trouble lifting, carrying and cooking, sore throats, eye pain and photophobia, severe head pain/ache, intolerance to noise, temperature fluctuations, and a fatigue that is difficult to describe, are just some of an endless exhuastive symptom list that I and other sufferers have to live with.

I am a wife and mum that now cannot get my daughter to school and has to rely on others to do this for me, a husband who cooks when he comes home from work, that like others desperately want recognition for this debilitating illness. 

We need proper medical care, we need the biomedical research that Let's do it for ME are campaigning for, which is why I have got involved and have started raising money for Invest in ME through selling blue ribbons for awareness, filling my copper pot up (with lots of silver) and when the better weather gets here I will, with my husband, sell at car boots the kind donations that friends and family have given me to help raise the much needed money to make this a reality."

Rowan is pictured wearing a T-shirt from our on-line shop, with a copy of the cheeky M.E Laid Bare 2012 calendar and the campaign leaflet.

Many thanks to Rowan, her family and friends for all they are doing through Let's do it for ME!

New Total £29,000!

Posted by Invest in ME Charity ...

 

Invest in ME (IiME) has, as an objective, to make a change in how ME is perceived and treated in the media, by health departments and by healthcare professionals.

We aim to do this by concentrating our efforts on three main areas - funding for biomedical research into ME, education of healthcare professionals, the media and the public and lobbying for improvement in the treatment of people with ME and their families.

We have no membership fees and try to offer as much as possible for free, or at cost price.

Our efforts are focused on setting up a UK examination and research facility which will provide proper examinations and diagnosis for ME patients and a coordinated strategy of biomedical research into ME in order to find treatment(s) and cure(s).

Together with an ever growing number of resourceful and dedicated supporters we are all working toward the goal of making a positive contribution to progress.

The Invest in ME biomedical research fund, aimed at funding biomedical research into ME based in Norwich, Norfolk, has now reached £29,000.

We applaud the vision, dedication, positive attitudes and sheer hard work being performed by this wonderful band of supporters and the Let's Do It for ME campaign.

Extraordinary efforts from outstanding people who are not content to just stand still but wish instead to make progress.

We believe this campaign will make a difference.

Support ME Awareness - Invest in ME - Let's Do It for ME! 

Well done everyone and thank you!

Snapper Kal's Photos and Fundraising

Message from Snapper Kal about her photos and using her talent to raise money for Invest in ME....


Hi everyone, 


My name is Kim, also known as Kal or 'Snapper Kal'. I have had M.E for 8 years now and I would like to give something to those who are trying to research the causes and treatments for this debilitating disease. 


It's been a struggle in all these years to feel in any way useful as I never know how I will feel from one hour to the next and therefore getting any kind of work is nigh on impossible - which I'm sure you understand all too well. 


I am luckier than a lot of sufferers as I have some 'good' times these days – I didn't for the first 2 to 3 years - I am forever grateful for those but it still affects my life on a day to day basis. For me to find something that I can enjoy doing and that I have the energy for is a blessing, and I would like to do something to aid the people fundraising. 



All your support would be appreciated, please do add yourselves to my group page on Facebook – Photoshop Snapper Kal - and add your friends.

The more people on the site, the more chance of sales and money – 10% of sales - being raised for this cause. 


Many thanks, 
Kim “Snapper Kal”

Laura Groves - Running the Brighton Marathon

Laura tells us why she is taking up this challenge:-

“Hi all, my name is Laura and I’m 31. I have the most amazing 11 year old daughter (soon to be 12) and family is everything to me.

I am currently in training for The Brighton Marathon- I am running this to try and raise as much money as possible for the charity Invest in M.E.

The reason for this is my beautiful sister Kerryn has had this awful illness for 10 years and I want with all my heart for this illness to be shown for what it is, how real it is, how it takes people’s normal lives away and to pray that a cure is found.  

I have watched my sister go from being a very active, happy, talented and high-spirited girl, to someone with no confidence, in pain everyday, and living nearly her whole life indoors.

On top of this, I see far too many people judge the illness without knowing it. I watch people say to my sister ... "yes I know how you feel, I’m tired" and I just want with all my heart for the truth to come out one day and that all these people will understand what their comments do and how they feel to not only my sister, but to all you fellow sufferers and your loved ones.

M.E is a very real, very soul destroying illness. I love my sister more than I can say and my heart goes out to each and every one of you that suffer. I will raise as much money as I can and we can all hope that one day this fight is worthwhile.

In the meantime, I hope you are all as well as possible and are getting all the love and support you need.

My heart goes out to you all and I hope I do you all proud on race day.

Kindest regards

Laura.”

Support Laura today at:
http://www.justgiving.com/Laura-Groves6

Annabel's Screen-Free Weekend



Annabel Schleutker

 Hi my name is Annabel, I’m 40, and I’ve had M.E for 13 years now, the last eight severely. I’ve been 100% housebound for the last 20 months, but also during these last eight years I had 16 months where I was bedridden, unable to even sit up, read, watch tv and could only talk for a few minutes a few times a day. Some people, sadly, remain bedridden for much longer than me, for years and years.

M.E robs people of so much. I’ve missed out on a career, social life, raising a family and much more. I am not alone. There are many of us living with this very debilitating illness.

During the years of living with this illness, different highly speculative treatments are touted. They often involve a lot of expense, are often ineffective and can make people worse. It’s an emotional rollercoaster trying different treatments and yet people are desperate and will try speculative treatments with risky outcomes. I’ve done it myself, leaving me with dashed hopes and depleted finances.

Research has been done and studies have shown the biological processes at work in M.E; however, to date these findings have not translated into effective evidence- based treatments for people with M.E. With this in mind, when I heard that the excellent charity, Invest in M.E, are aiming to set up a bio medical treatment centre at the University of East Anglia, I wanted to get involved, as I know this could help so many people with M.E finally have access to effective bio medical treatments that could help them and improve their quality of life.

Let’s do it for M.E is a patient driven campaign to raise awareness and funds for the proposed bio medical treatment centre at the University of East Anglia. So I knew doing some fundraising for Let’s do it for M.E would be my way of being able to help in a small way this centre become a reality.

Being housebound, running marathons or climbing mountains are not possible. So I’ve set myself the challenge of going a weekend, March 10-11th, screen free, not logging on to the internet, my I phone or watching tv. As I’m housebound and live alone, the internet is a life saver for me, connecting me to the outside world, so going screen free will not be easy, but if it means I can raise some coppers for this excellent campaign, it will be worth it – and hey I might even read a book!

I would be so grateful to anyone who is able to make a small donation. You can donate at my justgiving page, www.justgiving.com/Annabel-Schleutker12

A big thank you.

Annabel