ME Awareness Week 2008 Press Release

TV personality, Esther Rantzen CBE, today (National ME Awareness Day) puts pedal power behind the campaign to improve support and services for children left bed-bound and in excruciating pain by the illness, ME/CFS.

Esther Rantzen CBE backing recovered ME sufferer Martyn Jones in his bid to complete the Tour de France route in order to raise £30,000 for AYME and the British Heart Foundation.

Download the official press release here.

Today we are also making available important findings from a survey of members of Action for ME and AYME (click here to view the report ME 2008: What progress? in our news section) showing among other statistics that 40% of people had waited over a year to get a diagnosis.

The survey also reveals that for one in five people (20%), including more than one in four children (25%), it took more than two years to get a diagnosis. Almost 19% of respondents (516 people) said they were simply too ill to seek help for their illness.

Mary-Jane Willows, Chief Executive of AYME, said:

“Children are still waiting too long for a diagnosis. We know if specialist help is given at an early stage, prognosis becomes more optimistic.”

You may also find our What is ME? and What is AYME? articles useful.

Article last edited on Monday 03rd August 2009                          Printable Version