28. My poem for ME Awareness Day

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ME Awareness Day poem on You Tube

ME since I was 24

Me since I was 24

When I was 24 ME was 'yuppie flu'

Belittled and mocked by the press

That's the reason no-one knew

and 'til i was 54 I couldn't confess

That I've had ME for thirty years

And only the risk of being fired

Led me to face my fears 

And admit - out loud - I was more than 'tired'

Avoiding diagnosis for many years because

Who?

Who would want the label Yuppie Flu?

To be given by doctors who've been taught

 "its all in their heads, they think they're ill; they're not"

At 24 Epstein Barr Virus known as glandular fever

Left me weak and sore for months, for years

Recurrent infections of chest and throat and ears

And pain in joints and muscles

So extreme 

at times it made me scream

A weak and sorry sound 

As i crawled along the ground

To bathe and feed myself

Longing for my health 

to return, my work and my social life to resume.

Seen by doctors who were taught 

"It's all in their heads, they think they're ill; they're not"

Then there's the comedians who think ME's fair game

Because compared to cancer 

"It's really not the same" ... So ..

...let's all laugh at Sue who has ME - It's really quite a joke

that 'fired' rhymes with 'tired' so we'll take an easy poke

At Sue who's kids are growing up with mum who's been 'retired'

A part-time mum, in bed a lot because she's merely tired

....so let's see if we can raise a laugh at Sue who has ME

It's really quite hilarious that people cannot see

The millions missing from society, from schools and from work places

Because ME is stealing life from them and hiding all their faces.

ME really isn't comedy

The missing millions worldwide are more than ready

To use what health and energy we can 

 to ask the governments to plan

research funds, for a medical breakthrough

That will cure this devastating disease and to ask you ...

Until a cure's found for ME

Please show us you can see

The millions missing from society, from schools and from work places

Because ME is stealing life from them and hiding all their faces.