On Sunday 29th of September, my husband, David, and our daughter, Rosslyn, are taking part in the Great Scottish Run 10K to raise money for #MEAction UK.

As friends of #MEAction volunteer Emma Shorter and her family, David and Rosslyn have been aware of ME for some time but they’ve only relatively recently gained a better understanding of the harsh realities of living with ME.

As I’ve become more involved as a volunteer with #MEAction Scotland, they’ve both helped out with events such as the Unrest screening at the Scottish Parliament and the #MillionsMissing events in 2018 and 2019. Like me, they’ve met many of the other #MEAction Scotland volunteers and discovered that this is not a community that is short of determination, commitment, knowledge or skill.

Inspirational is an overused word these days but I think it’s fair to say that meeting the other volunteers has inspired David and Rosslyn to become more involved, hence the fundraising run.

Of course, raising funds by taking part in a sponsored sporting event isn’t an original idea. Nor is it something which will appeal to everyone but it’s worth remembering that it’s only one of the ways of helping open to those of us who count ourselves healthy allies to people with ME. As I’ve already mentioned, this community doesn’t lack drive or intellectual capability. What they are short of, however, is energy and that is something every healthy ally can donate. Whether you help out with an event, organise a sponsored fundraiser or raise awareness of the realities of this condition there is plenty of heavy lifting, both literal and metaphorical, to be done.

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