Three years ago, Chantelle Parry was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).

The neurological disease affects how Chantelle lives her day to day life, as it affects things like her short-term memory and produces muscle and joint pain.

“The main issue is fatigue,” said Chantelle, who has lived in Hardwicke all her life.

“Weeks can go by where I can’t leave the house, I’m often bedbound a lot of the time.”

While the causes of ME are unknown, it is often preceded by a viral illness – in Chantelle’s case glandular fever – from which the patient never fully recovers from.

The disease, which is sometimes known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), meant Chantelle had to leave her job, and her young daughter Alice is now a registered carer.

But despite this, Chantelle is determined to do her part for the ME community, and has organised an event on Saturday 11th May to raise awareness.

“It’s an international event called ‘Millions Missing’, and this will be the second one in Gloucester after our first one last year,” she continued.

“It’s about raising awareness of ME to the public and getting the government to hopefully provide better funding into research.”

The event will be at the Eastgate Shopping Centre on Saturday 11th May from 12pm to 2pm and will be part of the global Millions Missing campaign.

The campaign is part of the ME Action Network, which aims to help people with the condition all over the world, by raising awareness and supporting those with ME.

Chantelle says it will be crucial for representing people with ME all over the country.

“There’s 250,000 people in the UK with ME who have just been left to get on with it.

“Last year I set up a Facebook page called ME/CFS Friendship Group in Gloucestershire. We’ve now got nearly 200 members from this area alone.

“Those who can’t make it to the event have sent messages which we’ll be displaying.”

For more information on ME, visit www.meaction.net

To join the ME/CFS Friendship Group in Gloucestershire, visit www.facebook.com/groups/139595413368299/