- Clare was working the 12-hour shifts of a Health Care Support Worker with the NHS, when life changed abruptly in September 2020. Unlike many people with ME, there was no specific infectious trigger that she was aware of.
- A turning point, after having to give up work, was finding that her local college provided distance learning courses – something that could be achieved in short bursts, whilst recumbent!
- Clare’s motivation was to gain a qualification which would enable her to join the ME Association’s helpline and provide support to other people. She is now a helpline volunteer and was also appointed to the position of Communications Officer in January 2023.
- Living in one of the many areas of the UK with no ME/CFS Specialist Service, the ME Association had been invaluable in helping Clare learn to manage both the physical and mental aspects of her illness.
- Now Clare is learning to appreciate her new, laid-back pace of ME life, she is grateful to be able to spend time with her family (3 generations, 2 dogs, 1 house), to gaze at the view from her North Aberdeenshire home, to read, to learn, and to listen to Classic FM.
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