A wheelchair parked outside in a field, a woman standing up in front of it. TItle reads: When somebody in a wheelchair gets up and walks. Why do people use wheelchairs if they can walk?

Have You Ever Seen Somebody In A Wheelchair Get Up And Walk?

Have you ever been out in town and seen somebody who looks perfectly healthy get out of a car they had just parked in the spot for disabled people or seen somebody on a mobility scooter park outside and walk into the shop? If you are anything like I was before I fell ill, you might think these people are faking and milking the system for benefits and attention, but you’d be wrong, just like I was! This week is…

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Char pulling a funny face. Title reads: How to have M.E. successfully. A humorous look at life with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

How To Have ME Successfully

I came across this fantastic list of guidelines for how to live successfully with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and just had to share it. It’s so refreshing to ​read a light-hearted account of life with this ​horrible illness. I’ll be sharing this humorous look at life with M.E. below as well as explain the realities of each point in more detail to help with raising awareness. There’s also an image you can share on social media.  So here they are, ​The 11…

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Photo of hundreds of empty pairs of shoes in a town square representing th millions of ME/cfs patients missing from society. Title reads, How you can help the Millions Missing, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis awareness and advocacy,by Chronically Hopeful

Advocacy And Fundraising Ideas And Resources

What Is M.E? How To Get By Advocacy Tools M.E. Directory We in the ME community are so grateful that you are interested in supporting our cause. Thank you! I hope that the information on this page will inspire you to action, giving you ideas and resources to help you help us. We need all the help from healthy allies that we can get! The quickest way to support our cause is to donate towards advocacy campaigns or research. For…

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a field of forget-me-not flowers

ME/CFS Awareness Pictures To Share, Part 5

Every Wednesday the ME community comes together on Twitter to raise awareness of this debilitating chronic illness. We share recent media coverage, research news, our personal experiences and more. Making new connections and supporting each other. I often join in and share various ME awareness pictures during that hour. ​Below you will find the graphics I shared during the last ME Awareness Hour. I hope this will help you understand what life is like with ME If you have learned…

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Needing a wheelchair at 35, ChronicallyHopeful

Thoughts On Needing A Wheelchair At Age 35

A year ago today I got my wheelchair! I was almost completely bedridden at the time. Walking just a few steps every hour or two just to keep circulation and muscles alive was a chore. As a family we were house-sitting in the Lake District at the time. It was a long term arrangement, so was kind of our home away from home, but I had been confined to an upstairs bedroom and was unable to get out to see…

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ME Awareness Hour

ME/CFS Awareness, 10 Jan 2018

Sandwiched between 2 hot water bottles, under layers of clothes and blankets, medicated – multiple times, in the dark with sunglasses on, my phone’s screen dimmed and the blue light filter on so that I can bear looking at it for a few minutes at a time. This was me yesterday after I had a nap on the sofa where I toppled over after lunch, in a bundle of pain and tears as the previous night’s insomnia caught up with…

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Stalked and denied benefits BLOG

Chronically ill being stalked and denied benefits

On this day last year something very wrong and so unfair came to my attention: People with disabilities, who are deemed unfit for work by doctors and occupational health assessors, are being denied benefits because of their Internet activity. They’re being stalked, not only online, but in real life too! In this post I will elaborate on some of my thoughts I’d shared online at the time. My heart goes out to anybody who has suffered unnecessarily due to such…

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Gift Guide, What to buy for chronically ill friend, ChronicallyHopeful

Gift guide: what to buy for your chronically ill friends, part 3

I’m so excited to share this third part of my spoonie gift guide, I hope you are enjoying this series as much as I am! ​These gifts would be great for birthday presents or a house warming gift or even Christmas too. This series will continue to grow as I think of other cool gift ideas, watch this space!  If you’ve missed any of my other gift guides, you can find them all here. Happy browsing! ​Disability Aids To Help…

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colourful flouting balloons with title, Gift Guide, what to buy for your Chronically Ill Friends

Gift guide: what to buy for your chronically ill friends, part 2

I know many people find such joy in shopping for gifts. They start shopping months in advance and they buy the most thoughtful, personalised gifts anybody would love, that’s not me. I’m so unorganised!  If you’re anything like me, you’ve waited till the last minute to do your gift shopping. Whether it’s for a birthday, Christmas or a house warming gift, I just cannot get it done unless it’s right around the corner and then I might just give up…

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A bowl of colourful confetti spilled on a wooden table. Title says, Gift guide, what to buy for your chronically ill friends.

Gift Guide: What To Buy For Your Chronically Ill Friends, Part 1

It can be quite tricky deciding what to buy your friends with chronic illness because of all the limitations and intolerances we often have. What would be useful and not harmful in their condition? There are many lists out there, and they’re all slightly different depending on the condition they’re tailored for, so I’m making a list of the things I would have loved to receive over the years of being housebound. I have chronic fatigue and chronic pain as…

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