Social Media Sheds Light on Sufferers During #MEAwarenessWeek 2015
This week is ME Awareness Week and yesterday (May 12th)
was ME Awareness Day, so Social Songbird have decided to have a look at the
online campaigns that are helping to raise awareness for this disease and do
our bit for an often overlooked condition.
ME is hugely misjudged and assumptions are made about the
sufferers of this illness. I knew very little about this
disease myself, so when I found out that there are over 250,000 people who
suffer from ME in the UK, I knew it was time to educate myself and help spread
the word.
If you want a definition of ME, let me try my best: it’s a
pretty invisible condition – it all happens on the inside. Fatigue and
post-exertional malaise are among the most well-known symptoms of ME. Most victims
also suffer from aches and pains particularly in their joints. Others have
sleeping problems or terrible insomnia. The lack of sleep and the stress can
cause headaches which in turn will leave ME patients foggy and disconnected
from the real world.
There’s so much more, but you’ll learn pretty quickly if you
look into these online campaigns that I’m about to suggest.
People diagnosed with ME were encouraged to post a blog
article about their story and share it using the hashtag #May12BlogBomb. This
led to a mass influx on Twitter of emotional stories relating to these people
who are often ignored or discouraged because their illness is just not
considered serious enough. The Blog Bomb was set up last year by Sally Burch on
her blog “Just ME” which features her own story and thoughts about the illness.
She asks people to use the hashtag and hopes to get it trending this year. She
also posts links to the other blogs on her own site.
Because it is nearly impossible to notice an ME sufferer in
the street, one of the other big campaigns in this year’s awareness week has
been called #NowYouSeeME – and you guessed it – it’s all about shedding some
light on this condition and making visible those who are affected by it.
It is a fantastic idea started by AYME, an association for
young people with ME. The online campaign is helping many to voice their opinion
instead of bowing down to the constant “You’re faking it” stigma that is
attached to this extremely restrictive illness.
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| inthemidstofmadness.wordpress.com |
Simply by searching for these hashtags on Twitter you can
hear thousands of heart wrenching stories, see the pictures and hopefully share
them too. 25% of sufferers are housebound, wheelchair bound or bed bound, so as
you can imagine it will mean a lot just to have their voice heard. We are proud
to be doing our bit, so pass the message on!
Megan Herdson
Megan is a country girl who moved to the city with some big dreams. She is studying her MA in Creative Writing whilst also managing an American Football Team. She loves her blog and wants nothing more than to have her words read. That and to win the Championship, obviously. Follow her @MeganAtSMF
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Social Media Sheds Light on Sufferers During #MEAwarenessWeek 2015
Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015
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Reviewed by Unknown
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Wednesday, May 13, 2015
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