From The Shuttle, Kidderminster, 20 August 2013.
A TEENAGE ME sufferer bravely put her illness aside and took part in a sponsored walk to help raise awareness of the condition.
Chloe Mogg walked 3.25 miles – the most she is able to manage due to the fatigue syndrome – around the Wyre Forest Discovery Centre in just over two hours, raising £1,020 for the ME Association, a charity which gives support and advice to people, families and carers affected by the illness.
The 15-year-old was joined by 50 of her Stourport High School and VIth Form Centre friends and 10 family members, who had all been touched by her bravery.
People who read about the youngster’s plight in The Shuttle earlier this year also helped her beat her £1,000 target by generously donating money.
Chloe said: “I think that the walk went really well and it was so much fun to do.
“Everyone’s been really good with donating money for this well deserved cause. At least I feel now that I’ve achieved something which makes me feel good about myself. The walk hasn’t just helped me – it’s helped others with my symptoms as well.”
Chloe, of Hartlebury Park, Stourport, was first diagnosed with post-viral fatigue syndrome, which causes muscle and joint pain and chronic exhaustion, in February last year after four years of feeling unwell.
It developed after she suffered swine flu and glandular fever about five years ago, causing her body to shutdown.
The youngster recently returned to school part time after having one year off to cope with the symptoms but says she still has her good and bad days. Despite suffering with erratic sleeping patterns and aches and pains, Chloe still managed to complete her walk and she also gave a speech thanking everyone for taking part.
Her mother Sarah said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic. She just did it in her stride and took it at her own pace.
“Due to the article in The Shuttle we even had people come up to our house to donate. There were also people in the street saying ‘we remember Chloe as a little girl, here’s a tenner’, which was lovely.”
She added: “A big thank you to everybody who participated and donated.”