Nobody wants to be defined by ME

6:53pm Monday 12th May 2008

"Imagine not sleeping for 48 hours, then running a marathon with a hangover and flu. How you would feel at the end of that is similar to how people with ME often feel," says 34-year-old Sharon Price.

Sharon, who lectures part-time in French and German fell ill with ME after a bout of glandular fever in her late teens. At the time she was an A-grade student and an internationally-competing teenage gymnast.

Sharon sat her A-levels at home, having a lie-down in the middle of each paper. With the help of her family she went on to get a degree and a masters at university.

She considers herself lucky to have a relatively mild form of ME and is able to teach six hours a week.

However, a lot of things that most of us would take for granted are major undertakings.

"On a bad day simple physical tasks can leave me feeling shattered or struggling to function," she said.

"It is only through pacing myself rigidly every day that I am able to achieve some of the things I want to do in life. Work, relationships, finances - all are affected by ME."

Sharon earns a subsistence wage and says that if it wasn't for her parents she would be in debt as she receives no financial aid.

She describes ME as an "invisible illness" and says it can be hard to get across how bad you feel and how much pain you are in when you may look perfectly fine.

"Many peple with ME struggle financially and often people do not disclose their illness at work, if they are able to work, for fear of discrimination and lack of understanding."

This is despite the fact that ME has been recognised by the Government and categorised by the World Health Organis-ation as a physical, neurological illness.

Despite her condition Sharon finds the energy to mentor other people with ME.

"Nobody with ME wants to be defined by the illness," she said.

"We are individuals who just want to get out there and live life to the full, but while we are waiting for a cure, we all require understanding and to be treated fairly."

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