The ME Association is shortly going to start a fund-raising drive for money to cover the costs of running such things as the ME Connect Helpline, our website and to raise money for our research fund.

As part of that drive we are planning a short (three-minute) video to demonstrate to potential donors the devastating effects of ME.

"Most people don't really have much of a clue about the illness", said MEA trustee Ba Stafford, who chairs our fundraising group (pictured).

"To grab the audience's attention and get their support, we need to send out messages of heart-rending stories. One way to do this is to ask our members to let us have a photo of themselves which we can then include with their name and a short caption.

"For example, I plan to use the photo on page 33 of the October issue of ME Essential – my daughter with Ed and Luke (who are walking the Amazon to raise money for ME research). I choose it because it shows the MEA T-shirts, brings attention to the research fund, shows a young healthy-looking girl and can have a caption something like 'Janie Stafford had to pay for this photo shoot by spending two days resting in bed, recovering from extreme fatigue and pain.

Please will as many of you as possible email me a photo and give your name and a short paragraph saying how ME has affected you – how long you have had it, what it's effects are on you, how it has affected your lives, etc. I will then choose some and put captions under them.

"I will email the video for approval to anyone chosen before it goes public. We need photos of you maybe before and with your illness or just an up to date photo of you looking healthy or just one where you look really ill – the more mixed the better. We want both sexes and all ages.

"Please help! Without you we won't be able to do it. Click on the link below to reach me."

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