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 a list of global organisations which you can support, click here.

This page will continue to be updated as new opportunities come to my attention.
Please get in touch if you have any ideas or events to add.

Practical Ways You Can Help People With M.E.

Learn More About The Illness On Your Own

Advocacy and even talking is exhausting for people with M.E, so one of the best ways you can help and show you care is to simply take the time to research and educate yourself about the disease.

• Read the International Consensus Criteria and share it.
• Explore these websites about M.E.
• Read content written by the M.E. community on:
  Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Personal Blogs
• Read “This Could Happen To You“.

Raise Awareness & Funding For M.E. Research

Go blue for ME: Turn your home, street or local square blue for ME during a busy period. Use blue lights, blue hair, blue balloons, put up posters, host a cake sale, hand out leaflets and spread the word

Complete a charity walk/run with friends or colleagues in aid of ME research.

Create a poster or display in a public area (supermarket, hospital, doctors waiting room, library, sports club or lido, your lunch room or elevator at work, etc). You may prefer to print out some of the posters I have made, view them here.

Write a blog post about ME or invite a person with ME to guest post on your blog.

Host a tea party or BBQ in your neighbourhood with Q&A afterwards, you could even include a screening of Unrest – it’s available on Netflix worldwide

Interview a person with ME on your YouTube channel, podcast or radio show

Host a raffle prize draw at a local school or club where proceeds are donated to ME research. Prizes could include a gift basket, vouchers, or a weekend away in a donated accommodation.

Create a virtual campaign: post information about ME and the awareness events on social media using the hashtags: #pwME #MillionsMissing #CanYouSeeMEnow #EndMEcfs. You may share any of the awareness pictures on my site and Facebook page or make your own.

Host a fundraiser:• Use your skills and hobbies to raise funds for ME research by inviting people and charging an entry fee which will be donated to the organisation of your choice.• Host an art exhibition where proceeds are donated to ME research.• Put on a theatrical or musical performance to shed light on life with ME.• Yarn bomb a public space to raise awareness, this will take time, so invite friends, family and local clubs or retirement homes to participate and donate pieces.• Car or motorbike lovers can host a breakfast drive or vintage show.• Host a bake-off or cake sale, entry fees are donated or proceeds from cake sales donated.

Get Community Leaders, Decision Makers & Media Involved

Speak to your MP about joining MAIMES (UK)

Speak to community leaders & service providers like local pastors, doctors surgeries, hairdressers or laundry services about making provisions to better serve people with ME in their community (taking into account their need of accessibility, quiet, less crowded areas, lying down, sensory overload, home visits, ready meals, etc)

Invite media to the May 12 Millions Missing events or any event you host.

Curate info packs: deliver accurate and up to date information (like this Factsheet, this Clinical & Research Guide, this Primer For Medical Professionals, or this Leaflet for Churches) to your mayor, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, community centre and church.

Host a Q&A event for local leaders: include a screening of Unrest (now available on Netflix), allow time for questions and answers, and invite them to awareness events.

Send a postcard to your healthcare provider (US) inviting them to watch Unrest for Continued Medical Education credits. Details here.

M.E. Awareness Days

May 12 is ME Awareness Day, a global day of advocacy and fundraising by people with ME, their carers, family and friends. These events are located in many city squares around the world, and also virtually on social media for those too ill to go out. Unfortunately many patients are too ill to leave their beds or use social media and would be lost and without hope if it weren’t for the able bodied supporters who take their places at these rallies and make some noise for those of us too ill to do it ourselves. We need you!

August 8 is Severe ME Awareness and Remembrance Day, a day to highlight the suffering of the most severely affected in our community and to remember all those who we have lost along the way. Yes, Very Severe ME can be fatal and every year we lose dozens of warriors to this devastating illness. This awareness campaign is usually only online or in the media as people with Severe or Very Severe ME cannot leave their homes or tolerate loud and crowded events. It is so important that their voices are amplified so that the world sees them, even if just for a day. So please share our content and help make their voices heard.

Go Blue For M.E.

Global ME Awareness Events In May

ME Awareness Week is the week (from Mon to Sunday) that includes May 12. It is celebrated globally with all sorts of events ranging from virtual protests by people confined to their beds, campaigning online, pyjama parties for those who are housebound, tea parties and charity walks.

There are the famous Millions Missing protests and the spectacular Light Up The Night events which see many buildings and structures around the world lit up with blue, purple and green lights to show support for the various illnesses that share not only the same awareness day, but also many of the same symptoms.

Every Bit Helps!

There are millions of us missing around the world from jobs we loved, our social circles, family holidays, and many of us will be missing from these awareness campaigns too – being too ill to take part.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated, whether it’s sending emails or making phone calls, getting posters printed or accompanying patients to events. Every bit helps!

M.E. Awareness Week Events

Click the links to go directly to the event’s page to find out more:

Millions Missing Campaign – daytime protests attended by patients, carers and the empty shoes of those who are too ill to leave their homes. Takes place in many cities around the world. Join an event or organise your own!

Light Up The Night events – turning prominent buildings around the world blue, green and purple to raise awareness. Reach out to your local municipality to organise an event in your town!

The ME Association’s events page has many events to choose from (mostly UK based, but some can be attended virtually via social media or duplicate it locally)

Blue Sunday – an annual tea party for ME awareness, started by fellow persona with ME, Anna (UK based, but can be attended virtually from home or you could host your own locally!).

World ME Alliance – many ME organisations have joined forces to create the first ever World ME Day in 2022, kicking it off with their “Learn From ME” campaign. There are free tools and templates on their website to create your own awareness graphics.

Where To Find Publicity Resources

If you are interested in hosting an event, some of the advocacy organisations have leaflets, posters, t-shirts, balloons, pins and other awareness materials you could use to help the cause. So do visit their pages and see what is available to you.

M.E. Support has great publicity resources available if you’re planning an event.

The ME Association has lots of materials for anyone Going Blue For ME.

The ME Action Network has great resources available for the Millions Missing events.

Chronically Hopeful graphics: I have created many graphics you can share on social media or print out and display at events. See my Effects of ME posters, the Severe ME is… posters and the Personalised Millions Missing posters.

For loads of powerful awareness pictures to share online, follow ME Awareness Pictures on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Profile Pictures For You To Use And Share

I have created a few images to help you stand out on social media. Set one of these images as your profile picture on Instagram, Facebook, X-Twitter, or WhatsApp to show support and help raise awareness:

I send out a WhatsApp blast to all my non-ME contacts each year, including some information about ME and our campaign as well as links to relevant charities and research and attach these images for them to use. They get to choose which one to use and on which accounts and the information I send can be forwarded if they get queries about their new profile picture.

It is such a blessing to open WhatsApp or any of my social media apps and see these images of support pop up. I have been told by my contacts that they have been asked about it – so they do work!

Virtual Millions Missing Meet-up

For those who are housebound or bedridden and cannot make it to the various protests in cities around the world, there are now a virtual meet-ups online!

Where To Find International M.E. Organisations

Visit May 12th website and ME Support for lists of ME/cfs organisations from around the globe.

Financial Support For M.E. Research

There are a number of research teams and charities working tirelessly to find answers. Their research is giving the ME community so much hope!

Any of the previously mentioned organisations also raise funding for advocacy efforts and various research projects, supporting patients and scientific research.

It would be a wonderful gift to any person with ME if you were able to support them financially. Every little bit helps!

Thank You!

I thank you for your interest in helping us raise awareness and funding for this very neglected condition. It means a lot that you would spend your time and energy on something like this on our behalf. 

Please Pin This Post!

I know I speak for all people with ME when I say we are so very grateful for your support!

Raising Awareness Of M.E. – Not Only In May

Although we have a designated awareness week in May each year, these types of events can be organised for any time of the year. The more exposure we get, the better. We would love for you to be a part of our campaigns.

Additional Awareness Info For Patients

• Patients can take part in the #ChronicIllnessandME photo challenge and share your ME/CFS journey. (prompts are usually published here at the end of April)

• Patients can get their own personalised Millions Missing Poster here.

If you know of any other events, charities or research projects not listed here or have any fun awareness and fundraising ideas, please leave a comment or contact me so I can add them to the list!

Header photo credit: Newsmaker, Australia 2016 (Update 2024: Newsmaker website is no longer online).