When Jamie Rule, a chef at the AstraZeneca headquarters in Cambridge, isn’t feeding one of the teams that’s powering the world’s recovery from the pandemic, he’s thanking his lucky stars that he got his own life back again.
For over half a lifetime ago, this unassuming 35-year-old from Newmarket found himself at the mercy of a severe energy-sapping illness which left him needing a wheelchair, missing school for months, and in need of home tutoring.
At the age of 13, he was a football-crazy teenager who was always up for a game with his mates. But he then found himself floored by what at first seemed to be little more than a childhood cold.
“I couldn’t get rid of it. I still don’t know to this day exactly what it was but my life, and the life of my family, was turned upside down for the next four years”, he said.
“For much of the time, I had devastating pain and felt knackered. It wasn’t until I was 17 that I started to get better. My mum, dad, stepdad and two sisters went through a helluva time.”
Jamie, now married with two children and living in Newmarket, was diagnosed all those years ago with M.E.
This year, he is doing something special to mark his recovery to full health.
At his third attempt to win a place in the ballot, he will be taking part in the London Marathon on its re-arranged date of Sunday, October 3.
His wife Gemma and their two children, Katie (15) and 11-year-year-old Carly, will be in London on the day to cheer him on.
He’s dedicating his fundraising page to the ME Association, a leading national charity for people with the illness that affects 250,000 children and adults in the UK.
“So I finally got a place in the London Marathon. I said whenever I did I would raise money for a charity that was personal to me so here we are”, he said.
“If it wasn’t for my fantastic family, and especially my mum taking me to medical appointments and doing physiotherapy with me, I wouldn’t be the runner I am today. I’ve also been a member of Newmarket Joggers for two years and they’ve been great too.”
Thank you for your support Jamie. Have a great time training and on the big day itself!
To support Jamie’s fundraising, please visit his page here.