"This is the face" of M.E.

This is the face

This is the face of someone who is too sick to take her child to school each day.

This is the face of someone who has spent the last 5 hours lying in bed.

This is the face of someone who spent those 5 hours asleep, in tears, in pain.

This is the face of someone who can't have a wash without help.

This is the face of someone who was ignored by doctors for 6 years.

This is the face of someone who is often disbelieved.

This is the face of someone who is having a good day if she can make it downstairs by herself.

This is the face of someone who can't leave her house without a wheelchair.

This is the face of someone who has learnt how to apply makeup lying down.

This is the face of someone who is 80% housebound.

This is the face of someone with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

This is the face of someone with a chronic illness.

This is the face of someone with an invisible illness.

This is the face of just one of hundreds of thousands of people with chronic, invisible, life changing, debilitating and disabling illnesses.

This is the face of someone who wants the world to know about invisible illnesses.

This is the face of someone who lives in pain all day, every day.

This is the face of someone who wants awareness.

This is the face of someone who wants a cure.

This is the face of me & of M.E.

[Image description: see text above; courtesy & © Sophie Turner]

This superb poem with accompanying photo was published on instagram where Sophie is known as bambimax. She also has a blog, Nonsense from my 'home office' (sofa), as well as a twitter account. Sophie has given me permission to re-blog this as part of M.E. Awareness Month.

Monday 12th May is International M.E. Awareness Day, and I hope to post a personal account on the day or as near as possible as I am able.