Literary legend, Phileas Fogg, famously travelled around the world in 80 days. Fine if you are a human, but it’s a tall order for a cuddly toy.
Still, 9cm tall Foggy has already clocked up over 47,000 miles since the campaign began in July, and raised over £1,800 for charity. It is hoped Foggy can travel one million miles and raise £10k for the ME Association in one year.
Foggy has already visited New Zealand, Florida, Iceland and Turkey, and recently added photos of Northern Ireland to his holiday album.
ME, or given its full name, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, is a neurological disease which is severely debilitating and has a profound effect on energy levels. At its most severe, ME can render the sufferer bed bound and unable to speak.
While in Northern Ireland, Foggy visited Carryduff Primary School, where he made lots of new friends and enjoyed playing with Key Stage One pupils. He also visited Titanic Belfast, and walked the Walls and Peace Bridge in Derry/Londonderry.
Foggy’s host while in Northern Ireland was Claire Thomson, a 27-year-old accountant from Saintfield, who suffers from ME.
Claire says, “When I describe my illness to people, I say ‘imagine the worst flu you’ve ever had, on the very worst day.’ My concentration is affected, along with my memory, and I struggle to regulate my body temperature. When I’m really bad, I struggle to string a sentence together.”
The Foggy Dog campaign is the brainchild of Sally Callow from Portsmouth, who also suffers from ME. Speaking of her struggles, she says “once you are diagnosed, you’re pretty much left to your own devices. So you just pace your energy levels in order to avoid wearing yourself out. There is no pill, there is no treatment whatsoever.”
This is the reason Sally established the Foggy Dog campaign, to try and get doctors to find treatments and to raise awareness of this debilitating disease.
To follow Foggy’s campaign, search for MEFoggyDog on Facebook or Twitter, or to donate, visit www.justgiving.com/MEFoggyDog