Invest in ME (IiME) was set up with the objectives
of making a change in how ME is perceived and treated in the media, by
health departments and by healthcare professionals.
We aimed to do this by concentrating our efforts on - funding for biomedical
research, education and lobbying.
Since its inception Invest in ME has especially campaigned for biomedical research into ME.
The charity has enjoyed support from a small, but dedicated and wonderful
team of supporters and we have
all worked together to raise awareness of ME and try to make a difference. With the Let’s do it for ME
campaign we have together managed to build an impressive momentum to allow
patients and researchers to work together and move toward building a
strategy of biomedical research into ME.
We are, together with wonderful supporters,
turning this urgent requirement into reality.
Thanks to the great ideas, efforts and commitment of so
many great people -
now, as at May 2013, the research fund for biomedical research into ME had
reached £92,000.

There have been people walking for ME, running for ME,
doing sleep-overs, making Christmas cards, making calendars (even naked
calendars
), donation-matching, avoiding internet/facebook, remaining silent,
sponsored weight loss events, supermarket collections, craft-making, climbs, swims, cycling, ladies nights,
dog sitting, birthday parties, coffee mornings, give-a-pound donations, remembering etc., etc. - and
soon will be swimming with sharks, shaving heads and even jumping out of
perfectly serviceable aircraft or crossing the arctic.
And these events have been matched by donations from people
from all walks of life - supporting as best they can, and often supporting
more than they ought to due to financial or health constraints, or both.
And children have also been heavily involved in this - for
their friends, their sisters or brothers, or for their parents - a truly
inspiring sight.
And the BIG Cause is not confined to the UK - it is an
international cause and we have donations from around the world.
Small charity, BIG Cause
patient power
can do attitude
crowdfunding biomedical
research into ME
doing what can be done and
dreaming of what ought to be done

LDIFME is a patient-driven campaign to raise awareness and vital funds for
the proposal for an examination and research facility that can lead to
a centre of excellence for translational biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). The campaign is run by patients and carers who want the findings of high quality research to result in the development of appropriate treatments
and who will not give up that hope for the future, despite the huge personal
cost to their health that a lot of the campaigning has caused. The LDIFME campaign shows the true nature of people with ME and
their families - looking to make progress and regain their health, using
forward thinking and a can-do approach to raising awareness and making ME a
mainstream illness.
All of these wonderful gestures, supreme efforts, and
overwhelming generosity are a testament to positive, forward thinking
individuals.
Thanks to patients and supporters the UK will now be able to claim a
promising project to add to the research base - and a foundation for future
research.
The campaign by ME patients and their families may not
receive much publicity but, as we have said before, actions speak louder
than awards.
We hope to begin the first biomedical research project this
year and to follow it with other projects.

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