Studying as a Princess!

So this is slightly off topic but since I shall most probably be working on my End of Module Assessment on the day I thought I might as well blog about this here as well as on my M.E. Blog. On May 12th I'm going to be fundraising for Invest in ME by dressing as a Princess for the day! To say I'm excited about this is an understatement; finding a way to fundraise when you have so little energy is rather difficult, so this is a big thing.

In order to save a bit of energy while writing this post I shall quote my story from my JustGiving page:

As some of you will know I suffer from a chronic illness called M.E a neurological illness that has dramatically changed my life.

This year I am joining The Princesses and M.E, a group of M.E patients and supporters that are hoping to raise awareness of M.E and fundraise for the charities that do such a great job in supporting patients and those close to them. On May 12th, M.E awareness day myself and other sufferers will be dressing as Princesses and hoping for a fairy tale.

Our ultimate fairy tale would be finding a cure for this illness that has locked us away from the world. That would be an absolute dream come true. However to do that we need to raise as much awareness as possible, educating everyone about the true nature of this illness and the disabling nature it can have on the lives of sufferers and those closest to them. There are more than 250,000 diagnosed cases in the UK alone. 250,000 lives that have been altered drastically and 250,000 who are waiting for an effective treatment, better consistency of information from health care professionals worldwide and of course the chance of a cure to come charging our way.

I've been overwhelmed by the support and donations I have received so far on my JustGiving page: I reached £50, half my initial target, in under a week! If you've been following my progress on the JustGiving page, Facebook or Twitter you'll know I shared a photo of my homemade, hand knitted tiara when I reached that halfway point.

My hand knitted tiara, complete with blue sequin jewels

I also received a wonderful fundraising pack from the charity I am supporting; Invest in ME. I will proudly be wearing the sash as part of my Princess costume!

My Fundraising pack from Invest in ME

The reason I am fundraising for an M.E charity is because we need research into the cause if we are to ever find an effective treatment and hopefully a cure! I also want to raise as much awareness about M.E. as possible, since it is still a misunderstood illness and the attitudes towards people who suffer from it can be very hurtful. Raising awareness and educating everyone about M.E. can only improve this!

I've promised that if I reach my £100 target before May 12th I'll give you all a sneak peek of my Princess dress! So if you want that sneak preview, and to help me smash my £100 target please text PCJW78 followed by the amount you want to donate (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or£10) to 70070 (e.g. PCJW78 £4 to 70070) or head over to my JustGiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/PrincessClare