Re: Fantastic Makeover Surprise For Lovely Girl (Grimsby Telegraph, 24 May 2008)

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Response to an article in Grimsby Telegraph (Link below my signature) which

has M.E. bundled with chronic fatigue.

If you can spare the energy to enlighten the people of Grimsby, the e-mail

adress is viewpoint@...

If your group disguises e-mail addresses that is viewpoint at

grimsbytelegraph dot co dot uk

Cheers

drjohngreensmith@...

*Grimsby Telegraph Letters*.

Whilst M.E.sufferers will be very happy to read of the kind and generous

thoughtfulness of Hannah Bradley's friends providing her with a makeover for

her bedroom (*Fantastic Makeover Surprise For Lovely Girl, Grimsby

Telegraph, 24 May 2008*), many hearts will sink at the part of the sentence

which reads that Hannah has suffered from " the chronic fatigue illness

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis " .

Although there is no definitive diagnostic test for M.E.(*Myalgic

Encephalomyelitis*) some doctors can make a clinical diagnosis after

excluding known illnesses by blood tests and maybe a scan. One guideline

commonly used is that a person has M.E. if at least four symptoms - from a

list including chronic muscle pain, swollen glands, low-grade fever,

cognitive difficulties, unrefreshing sleep and very slow recovery after even

minuscule effort - for more than six months.

But, whatever is the physical cause of the overwhelming lassitude from which

M.E. patients suffer, it is not fatigue as we usually think of it. It is not

brought on in the same way by physical or mental effort but is stubbornly

present no matter how many hours sleep which normally refreshes a tired

individual. In addition there is a range of symptoms for which the word

fatigue alone is not sufficient.

This is not mere fussiness or pedantry over a diagnostic name. It may be

that people are remaining ill with M.E. because we are not investing in the

necessary biomedical research to understand more about the physical cause of

M.E., in the hope of finding a cure but instead treating it as fatigue with

treatments which are either ineffective for people with M.E. or even cause

some to be worse than before.

In the meantime, Hannah is exceptionally lucky to have such special friends

to offset the isolation that M.E. brings with it.

Yours sincerely

drjohngreensmith@...

Dr H Greensmith

ME Free For All. org

http://tinyurl.com/6esww8

FANTASTIC MAKEOVER SURPRISE FOR LOVELY GIRL

Grimsby Telegraph

Date : 24.05.08

Businessmen from two Grimsby firms hit a high note with a poorly teenager.

Hannah Bradley (14), of Ancaster Avenue, Grimsby, has suffered from the

chronic fatigue illness myalgic encephalomyelitis.

She had to give up school at Tollbar Business and Enterprise College to be

looked after at home.

There, she enjoys watching The Simpsons on TV and listening to her favourite

High School Musical soundtrack.

But when business partners Phil Flowers and Harvey, of BJB Lift Trucks

Ltd, and Bob Hill, of BH Tiling Solutions, heard of Hannah's plight they

arranged a secret makeover for her.

On the date she was due to undergo treatment at Sheffield Children's

Hospital, the three men set about transforming her bedroom.

Hannah's grandmother Shirley Docherty (64), of Lavenham Road, Grimsby, said

her granddaughter has difficulty in moving her arms and legs. She has also

lost her voice.

She said: " To see her face when she went into her bedroom was amazing - it

just lit up.

" The men had worked very hard to do the makeover in just two days. "

They had laminated the floor, painted and decorated, fitted spotlights in

the ceiling and installed a large plasma TV.

They also bought her an electric bed and blinds for the windows.

Hannah's mum Shirley said: " It has made such a big difference. It is all in

pink. It is her favourite colour. "

The volunteer crew also decorated the room of Hannah's sister (12).

Mr Harvey said: " Hannah is such a lovely girl. If it makes life better for

her it can only be good. "