'M.E. myself and I' by Anna Redshaw

Happy Blue Sunday 2024!

What Blue Sunday is to me:

A chance to engage others with our cause.

We exist in such an echo chamber. I haven’t found anything that reaches beyond, better than Blue Sunday does.

Outsiders don’t always engage with the shocking bleak reality of our existence with M.E. Awareness days pass the majority of people by if they’re not directly affected by something. I’ve found tea and cake to be a very good way of getting their attention and an excellent way of starting harder conversations about this devastating illness and how it decimates lives.

Before the pandemic, we would get 70+ guests at my own Tea Party For M.E. each year and I have tended to be the only person there that actually has M.E. We’ve had medical students and GPs attend and everyone would leave knowing a little bit more about M.E. than when they arrived.

Most got to see the way my energy fades over those two hours, and how that affects my speech, my posture, my ability to walk… Seeing shouldn’t have to be believing but it does help.

A day that invites, includes, and involves people with M.E.

As I’ve said before, my friends who have M.E. do not need to be made aware of M.E. They know better than anyone what the reality of life with this illness is like.

For them, I want Blue Sunday to be a day of celebration; celebrating the fact that they cope with all that is thrown at them every single day. They mould and adapt. They survive. They grieve and rise again; as the grief cycle naturally takes holds. They are absolute champions in my opinion. To see them grasp at joy and delight in being able to take part in a virtual gathering today will be my proudest accomplishment.

Small business owners and creators use their skills to make infographics, prizes, art work, crafts, and so much more. Blue Sunday has given them an opportunity to remind themselves that they are more than just someone whose ill-health has taken so much from them.

Of course we are yet to find anything that can include every single person living with M.E. because of the vast variations in severity and the complete isolation that Very Severe M.E. brings. I feel a strong sense of duty that they not be forgotten and that those of us who can, must speak up on their behalf.

An accessible* fundraiser

Blue Sunday also gives those of us with M.E. an excuse to donate to M.E. charities who work tirelessly on our behalf. This year I’ve had a glimpse at the work some of these charities do and I am spurred on by their unwavering dedication to make our lives better.

*As yet, nothing is accessible to every person living with M.E.

By being inclusive of the very people living with M.E. Blue Sunday has facilitated the raising over over £100,000. I think that speaks volumes to our desire to be involved in life. Why should we have to sit on the sidelines of absolutely everything? Include us! Look at what we bring to the table when you do.

An opportunity for our loved ones

Blue Sunday gives those closest to us, who see our suffering, a rare opportunity to support us in something, and to show their support. I know from my own family that they often feel at a loss with how to help with an illness that cannot (yet) be treated. For those who saw us disappear from the lives we’d always known, it’s a chance to learn a little more about the illness that turned our world upside down. For many of us who cannot host a gathering, our family or friends jump at the chance to do it for us.

NB. To anyone who finds themselves too unwell to have their cake and eat it on ‘Blue Sunday’, please post your tea party photos and join in whenever you can throughout the following week. Flexibility is key with M.E! So please don’t worry. All of the photos will still be available to see and comment on if you want to whenever suits your health best.