художници на икониI am absolutely disgusted with this article in The Sun:
At the weekend, I found an old CV of mine. I looked through it – I have a LOT of qualifications, which are very good and I PAID to do them. I have a lot of experience. When I had my first big ME/CFS relapse, I had just got engaged and was working my way to becoming a Microbiology Technician with a degree in Biomedical Science. I was unable to work for several years, mostly due to the fact I was rarely able to get out of bed. As SOON as I was able, I took a part time job (still not up to working full-time) so I could afford luxuries, like wedding rings. I was unable to return to my old career, so I PAID to completely retrain as an administrator. I took a crash course in office skills, over six weeks, and within a couple of months, had secured a full time job in admin. It was a constant struggle. I completely went without a social life in order to maintain my job – both would have been impossible. I would often go home on a lunchtime, for a nap, just so I could get through the day.
Finally, I found a balance. I was working full time for a while and was able to socialise (to an extent). Then, in 2002, another relapse hit and it was worse. Worse in a number of ways: this time, I was the main wage earner; we had a house to pay for; a dog. I tried to do everything right, this time. Fighting it was futile and because I’d tried to be ‘normal’ for too long, instead of admitting I was getting poorly again, it hit me harder. So, once again, I had to give up a promising career, lost friends (who wants to bother with someone who can’t go anywhere or, often, can’t even hold a conversation), had to cut everything back to keep a roof over our heads, had no social life and had to watch the world pass me by for years. It’s undignified to have to ask for help to do things (like getting upstairs or washing your hair), that you’ve always taken for granted.
What I’m trying to say is, who would choose that life? Who would say that this is a ‘pretend illness’ if they had any experience of it? I’ve had ME/CFS since I was 12 and certainly couldn’t have kept up this pretence for 25 years. I miss kick-boxing, dancing, being able to go out on my own, having an income, etc, but I’d still rather be me than that disgraceful excuse for a columnist, Rod Liddle. Bullies always attack those who are least able to defend themselves.