The ME Association
Champion Bloggers

Honest and emotive blogs about ME/CFS
Beautifully written works

ME Association champion blogger - Heather Taylor
Champion Blogger Rebecca Mulcahey
Emma Bennet Chronically Craptastic Champion Blogger
Jacqui Flynn Champion Blogger
Champion Blogger Katie Roberts
ME Association champion blogger - Phoebe Boag

The ME Association is incredibly lucky to have a wonderful group of people who write honest and emotive blogs about ME/CFS and we call them the ‘Champion Bloggers.’

They write in a personal capacity as well as writing about topics and events of particular interest to the ME Association.

All our bloggers are strong advocates for positive awareness and are an asset to the charity. Their beautifully written work resonates with a great many people in the ME/CFS community and beyond.

We value everyone who takes the time to write blogs about their own experiences and to address topics we may suggest. Thank you to everyone who helped launch this concept in 2020, as it was your support that got it up and running!

This amazing team produce quality content that we share on social media to our large following and publish in ME Essential magazine. This helps promote their work and increases readership and we are very happy to promote them in this reciprocal agreement.

We are pleased to announce that subject to a final approval, we can offer all MEA champion bloggers FREE membership for 12 months which includes quarterly editions of ME Essential magazine and within our welcome pack a free awareness Pin-badge and ME Alert Card. 

We are always looking for more bloggers to lend diversity and different perspectives. If you blog about ME/CFS we would really like you to join us, please contact emma.jefferies@meassociation.org.uk for more information.

We look forward to welcoming you!

Clare Wood

Smiling Clare

Hi, I’m Clare. I was diagnosed with M.E. in 2005 when I had just started secondary school.I went from an energetic girl, who almost always had her head stuck in a book, to being almost bed bound for 3-4 years whilst studying for my GCSEs, and struggling to read much more than a few sentences, let alone a whole book.Between 2010 and 2017 I completed a degree part-time with The Open University. In 2019 I gained t he additional diagnosis of hypermobility. Physiotherapy began and to this day continues.I also have autonomic dysfunction, in the form of Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, with other forms of autonomic dysfunction still under investigation. Currently unable to work due to the sheer number of hospital appointments, I live with my parents at their home in Essex, UK. My blog is my way of sharing tips and tricks for living with chronic illness, sharing my journey and generally a way of helping me cope; it includes the highs and lows of living, within the limits dictated by chronic illness.

Daniel Moore

The Low Side

Hi I’m Daniel. I lived with M.E. throughout my adolescence for seven years in the 90s, missing most of my secondary education before going on to live a ‘normal life’ (other than my body rejecting high energy exercise!).I’m a qualified social worker, having worked in fostering and children’s disability services for ten years before I became ill again in January 2018.I live with my wife and two children in the farmhouse where I grew up in Northumberland and can go for weeks without experiencing civilisation! We have a dog called Hugo and a cat called Billy. I write reflectively about life with M.E. and enjoy reading, photography and writing poetry.

Emma Bennett

Emma Bennet Chronically Craptastic Champion Blogger

Chronically Craptastic

Hi, I’m Emma.
In what feels like another life, I was an Assistant Clinical Psychologist, gym junkie, and social butterfly, having a hectic-but-fantastic time. Sadly, ME and POTS made it all come crashing down, until I was housebound, often bedridden. It was a terrifying experience; I lost everything I’d worked hard for, activities I enjoyed doing, and my identity. However, whilst I was busy losing everything – I also found stuff; things I never realised I had such an abundance of. And I’m not talking nearly-empty shampoo bottles and odd socks – albeit those were plentiful. I mean strength, resilience, and great stamina for wading through the unbelievable shit-show that is chronic illness.
Fear not though, this blog won’t make you gag with unrealistic positivity – or conversely, make you want to throw yourself off a cliff. No, I try to address the ugliness of my chronic illness experience with an appropriate balance of reality, humour … and a pinch of profanity – through a mix of personal essays, blogs and videos. I aim to raise awareness, and bring a smile to those who wish to feel less alone and more connected in what they are going through. For me, being sick all the time is chronic and crap … but I still have plenty of things to be happy about. My life is therefore, chronically craptastic.

Evan Kendall Francis

The Cornerstone for Thoughts

Hi, I'm Ev. You might know me from the ME Essential if you're a member where I write a regular feature in the magazine. I've lived with mild-moderate ME for the last four years. I also suffer from small fibre neuropathy too. I try and share the highs and lows of my condition. You can follow my work over on The Cornerstone for Thoughts or @cornerstoneforthoughts over on my Instagram too. I look forward to sharing more with you.

Hannah Radenkova

Super Pooped

Hi, I’m Hannah, an illustrator and blogger from an incredibly flat part of England, called the Fens.The main idea of my blog is to give me an easy way to keep friends and family informed about my road to recovery, and to help them understand my illness.This is primarily because whenever I have to talk to someone about her my situation, I suddenly become Monty Python’s black knight, cheerfully insisting I’m fine no matter how much I’m bleeding all over the forest floor. I am housebound with ME/CFS, and live with my parents/carers, and my cat, Jessicat Fletcher, who is part adorable, fluffy kitten, and part vicious hellbeast.

Heather Taylor

ME Association champion blogger - Heather Taylor

The Sleepy Bookworm

I’m a huge bookworm; a literature lover, bookishly bonkers and obsessed with amassing my own private library. I was diagnosed with M.E/CFS in 2015 and have also suffered with chronic depression and anxiety. Living with a chronic illness can be isolating and lonely; I think it’s important to write and share my experiences. Through this blog I hope to raise awareness for those struggling with invisible and chronic illness; those with mental health problems and those that struggle to keep fighting their own body day in and day out.

Jacqui Flynn

Jacqui Flynn Champion Blogger

40 and Fighting

Hi I’m Jacqui.I live in Lancashire and I’ve suffered with chronic fatigue syndrome for about 3 years. I also have a bad back, Asthma, Raynaud’s Syndrome, Lupus SLE and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Before I got sick, I enjoyed a life of mountain biking, long mountainous hikes and drinking a good beer or 5 with friends. Nowadays I can’t ride my bike and I only do short flat walks. Of course, I still have a cheeky tipple sometimes. I also enjoy arts and crafts; comedy and I love a good suspense film.I turned 40 this year so I decided to start a blog. I aim to help and support fellow sufferers and to raise awareness of what it is like to live with chronic illness, the difficulties we face and the humorous side to our life. Yes, there is one.Recently I obtained a degree in Sports and Exercise Psychology, I'd like to blog about my experiences and therapies I have tried as it may benefit other people within the chronic illness community and hopefully, this may extend to some people who have ME/CFS. Our journey with chronic illness gets very heavy, so let’s keep it lighter and together we can keep looking forward.

Jenny McGibbon

This thing they call recovery

Hi, I’m Jenny, a Scottish graphic designer in my mid-twenties.I’m particularly passionate about creating health content that is friendly, approachable, and honest. Chronic illness affects our lives as much as our bodies, and it’s time more people knew about it.

Karandeep Kaur

Creating with Chronic Fatigue

My name is Karandeep and I have had chronic fatigue syndrome since I was 12 years old. It has now been 10 years since I first became ill and throughout this journey I've picked up my own tips for managing my condition and learned how to communicate my struggles with others, both of which I share on my blog. I've found art to be a powerful tool for explaining my illness to both people who do not experience it and those with the same condition looking to be understood. On my blog I use artwork to represent the emotion behind each post and help others understand what people with chronic illness go through on a daily basis. I hope to show others with my illness that they can live a happy and fulfilling life, and that creating art is an easy way to start.

Katie Roberts

Champion Blogger Katie Roberts

Katie Living With ME

Hi, I’m Katie, I’m a teenager living with Severe/Very Severe ME, POTS, MCAS, Gastroparesis and other health conditions. I have been living with ME since 2017, when I was 13, after having shingles, and I’ve been 100% bedbound since September 2020. I was academic, sporty and fun before that. I lost all my hobbies so I had to try and find new ones accessible completely from bed. Thats why my instagram account and blog mean everything to me. Having become ill at 13 my life has not been easy. And neither has it been for many in this community. I’ve faced medical gaslighting and abuse, lost all my friendship group, lost my education which I loved. But that’s not unusual for people with ME. It’s a place where I can write about this, help others feel seen and offer support. Whilst it also makes me feel fulfilled and gives me a purpose.

Kirstie Sivapalan

Writing and M.E.

32 years living with M.E. Now finding meaning as writer and poet – one novel completed and seeking representation, another underway. I write poems and stories about our connection and disconnection to the world around us including living with M.E, spiritual and mental well-being, and social, political and environmental change. Once upon a time I worked in HR and still offer advice on employment issues if needed.

Naomi Gilchrist

A girl called Naomi

Hi I'm Naomi.I wouldn't have started blogging if I hadn't have become unwell. I love blogging and it's something positive that come out of a negative in my life; the negative being becoming unwell. I have severe M.E alongside other chronic illnesses and disabilities. My blog features all aspects of who I am as I am more than my disabilities and they are just a portion of who I am. Some of the topics I blog about include disability awareness, lifestyle and disability lifestyle, wellbeing, craft tutorials, my hobbies and other interests, book and product reviews, fashion and beauty, collaborations and more. I see my blog as a platform to share my life and more importantly to give my disabilities like M.E a voice so that more people have a better understanding of the illnesses I have to help try and raise awareness and using my lived experience and turning that into something positive. Being a blogger with disabilities, especially having M.E is hard but I've found my ways to continue being able to blog as it's something I love and feel so passionate about doing.

Phoebe Boag

ME Association champion blogger - Phoebe Boag

Puffins and Penguins

A personal blog about my experience of living with the illness Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), by Phoebe Boag I live in the Scottish Borders, not far from Edinburgh, and have had ME since 2014. My ME started as mild and eventually evolved into severe ME. Since having ME I have built up quite the collection of comorbidities, including endometriosis and chronic migraine. I am predominantly housebound. I began my blog in 2016 and my posts tend to be quite in-depth and essay-like, meaning, they are on the lengthy side! I had an unintentional two year break from late 2019 to 2021 after moving house, but I hope to begin publishing posts more frequently, if irregularly. My blog gives me a focus and I find it to be very therapeutic. It gives me a sense of purpose and self-worth that I had lost since I was forced to stop working. It allows me to communicate widely about my experience which aids my family and friends in their understanding. I’ve made friends through my blog and it has led to new writing opportunities. My blog is one very positive thing to have come from such a destructive illness.Shorter blogs can be seen here.

Rebecca Mulcahey

Champion Blogger Rebecca Mulcahey

Chronicles of the chronically fatigued

My names Rebecca Mulcahey, I am a passionate, loyal, caring woman and I wear my heart on my sleeve. I love adventure, the outdoors, the moon and I’m obsessed with good food. Before I became unwell, I was very active and loved practising martial arts, cold water swimming and dancing. I am a proud mother of two sons and a step son and Wife to an amazingly supportive Husband.I was working full time as an Inclusion Manager at a high school where i would support students at risk of exclusion. I have a huge family and a handful of really good friends. It’s not all sun and roses though, I have battled with mental health, made some terrible decisions and faced some life altering situations. I’ll spill the tea in the blog. I started this blog as a means to process all the thoughts and fears that come with being diagnosed with a chronic condition and learning to rebuild life around it. I hope that this blog will also serve to help others going through the same and help them feel seen, heard and have their feelings validated.

Sakara Pritchard

Living on lost time

Hello! My name is Sakara. I'm an artist, photographer, and musician- all things I love to bring into my blogging. The title -Living on Lost Time- refers to the assumption that a year spent sick is a year lost, yet my life is happening in every moment that passes. I want to share some of this reality with anybody who stumbles across my work, but most of all I hope to provide comfort to disabled &/or chronically ill people who relate to any elements of my experience 🙂

Sarah

Me, Myself and Chronic Illness

Me, Myself and Chronic Illness is a personal blog of living with chronic illness when life is just beginning. My blog talks about living with multiple chronic illnesses in the form of M.E/CFS, Tourette's, Fibromyalgia, Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease (UCTD), PCOS and mental health. As well as hard hitting subjects such as symptoms, loss, work and relationships, I create blog posts on hobbies, films, books and crafting – because not everything is about illness.


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