Imagine one day you wake up and you can barely move from your bed. You try to lift your head but it feels too heavy, almost like you are trying to lift up a heavy rock.

Your cat is lying beside you and senses you are waking, he walks up along your body. Ow! You didn’t realise he was that heavy. His tiny paws digging into your body are so painful. As you try to pull yourself out of bed, you feel stiff, heavy and achy and your joints are sore. Your body feels like it has aged decades to your eighty’s.

As you rise you feel your head spin and your body struggle to hold its self-upright. A million thoughts start to overwhelm your head and you start to wonder why am I feeling so awful? You barely make it from the bedroom to the lounge. Your body feels like it has just run a marathon.

Maybe you’re coming down with something, like the actual flu….. Or maybe today is just an off day. But then the next day feels much the same, days then turn into weeks, then months then years.

Just like that you have gone from be a young, fit, healthy and capable human being into a weak, venerable, confused and incapable human being. You can barely leave the house, let alone look after yourself and your loved one has turned into your carer.

Your doctor and other doctors can’t explain it, won’t acknowledge it, or know about it but can’t help. Leaving you at a loss as to where and how it all went so wrong……

Wow that sounds horrible and depressing! That my friends is a small taste of what life with ME/CFS aka Myalgic Encephalomyelitis /Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is like.

Today is ME/CFS awareness day! As a yearly ritual I like to get on board and help promote awareness on our intentional day of May 12th (read previous posts for 2014, 2015 , 2016 here).

Sadly there are millions of people world wide that are currently suffering with this illness. Many sufferers are left house bound, some are even bed bound. The recovery with this illness can take years, even decades. Unfortunately there is still a lot to be learned and research to be done about ME/CFS. Some health professionals still believe it is all in the sufferers mind, as there is still a lot unknown about the illness. Crazy right!?

I suffered with this illness back in 2013 and become completely bed/house bound for years. It was a very isolating and debilitating experience to go through. Thankfully my health is in a much better place now.

For more information about ME/CFS or to find out how you can help check out the Australia ME/CFS website emerge.org.au.

I am extremely excited to be completing in City2surf this year and fundraising for ME/CFS. Funds donated are going to emerge, they are a wonderful advocate for ME/CFS sufferers. If you want to get behind me or share some love and support click here for my everyday hero page.

Thanks for reading, I hope you have a wonderful day!

Much Love,
Lennae xxx

Photo credit: a.m_banks- Instagram