Running two businesses should feel empowering, but for me it often feels like juggling glass balls while walking through fog. Each business has two or more linked email addresses, its own accounts, its own tools, and its own subscriptions. Many of those subscriptions overlap, so I move between them constantly, switching from one login to …
For about eight years, Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) was something I lived with quietly. It was there, but it wasn’t overly dramatic. It behaved itself most of the time, it showed up in small ways, a rash on the tops of my feet if I was in sunlight too long (sometimes as little as …
Severe ME was at the centre of a major ME Foggy Dog 2024-25 advocacy effort when 5,220 people with M.E signed an open letter demanding an NHS protocol. It was one of the largest collective actions from the M.E community in recent years (it’s very hard to reach people within our community – thanks to …
When I first started M.E advocacy back in 2014, I didn’t spend much time thinking about severity levels. I knew the basics, mild, moderate, severe, very severe, and I learned the familiar statistics that charities and research groups have used for years: around 25% mild and 25% severe or very severe. Those numbers have stayed …
Dear Secretary of State for Health and Social care, and Minister for Public Health and Prevention, Across the UK and internationally, clinicians and patient communities are observing a deeply concerning trend: individuals who experience multiple viral infections within a short period are increasingly developing long‑term, debilitating conditions such as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (M.E./C.F.S.). One …
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a restful festive break. I took a few weeks away from M.E. Foggy Dog’s work over the Christmas period to recharge, but as many of you know, the wheels never truly stop turning. Even while resting, my mind was busy reflecting on our journey and where we …
A shadow is looming over the disabled community: the potential return of widespread, mandatory face-to-face assessments for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). While the world has tentatively embraced a “new normal” post-pandemic, for many disabled people, a key accessibility measure introduced during the crisis is under threat. The push by some MPs to reinstate in-person …
As our community navigates the complex and often brutal realities of energy-limiting conditions (ELCs) like Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.), we can sometimes find ourselves at the crossroads of language and lived experience. This was highlighted last week in comments posted in reply to a The Canary Facebook post that included these seemingly innocuous sentences in the …
Living with M.E. (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) presents daily challenges that are often invisible and misunderstood. For too long, our community has faced systemic barriers in accessing the support we desperately need. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that our voices are heard by those in power, and that’s why contacting your Member of Parliament (MP) this week …
Hi, I have a fuzzy brain this afternoon and whilst attempting to get a few ideas down on paper (email) to sort M.E. awareness artwork, I used Gemini (AI) to see if I could come up with a prevalence of M.E. in my hometown of Portsmouth. The M.E. Awareness Month poster will be displayed in …
