A little reintroduction

There are a few new faces around here so I thought I’d reintroduce myself ahead of next week’s tea party

I’m Anna. I’m 31 and I’ve had #ME/CFS since 2010

I write a blog called ‘M.E. myself and I’ where I share, quite honestly, my own experience of having M.E. It started as a place for me to help those in my life understand the huge changes that came about when I suddenly became unwell

I live with my husband, known as Mr Tree Surgeon. We met four years into my chronic illness ‘journey’ and within the first six months of our relationship we experienced things most healthy couples will likely not experience until old age, if at all

I have one sister and two brothers, who all avoid my baking efforts like the plague

Over the 9.5 years of having M.E. I have made monumental progress. But I am still unable to work or live independently. I am still unimaginably unwell every single day but I’m so grateful for the progress I’ve seen

I started the ‘Blue Sunday’ tea party in 2013. The name came from the title of a blog post I made about the 2014 tea party and stuck. It was @oliviahcole (on Instagram) I believe, who came up with the tag ‘The tea party for M.E.’ when she joined in years ago 💙

For someone whose greatest achievements have become managing to boil an egg independently and safely, it was a pretty big deal that the ME Association approached me and asked if they could use ‘Blue Sunday’ as the inspiration for their Go Blue 4 ME campaign. No biggie

I have a walking stick, a mobility scooter, and a wheelchair. Different aids for different days hey! (@health_and_unwellness & @wheely_good_time On Instagram have an amazing graphic on this)

In the last year I have experienced a decline in my mental health after reaching the conclusion that I will not become a parent; a direct result of how the severity of my M.E. impacts on my daily life. (I do not accept unsolicited advice or suggestions on this topic at all, but I cherish your understanding and support)

I have three ‘free range’ guinea pigs. Rowan, Delores and Juanita. Delores and her sister Popcorn were my first ever pets, and Pop was the best rest buddy a chronically ill gal could ask for