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ME has blighted my life, says brave Anna

Sue Carr
1/ 6/2005

MOST people think of tiredness and poor concentration as symptoms of getting old.

But teenager Anna Pickard didn't have the luxury of time to live a normal life first when she was diagnosed with ME or what is also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Anna, now 16, first developed the illness four years ago and shortly after starting at Glossopdale Community College.

The debilitating illness attacks many parts of the body including the nervous and immune systems and results in problems such as severe exhaustion, muscle pain, concentration lapses and memory loss.

Anna said: "It took about six months to diagnose and it was my mum who eventually went on the internet and put in my symptoms and it came up with ME.

"I don't think a lot of people know what it is. I'd never heard of it before and it's only through my having it that my friends now know about it."

Anna's symptoms were similar to flu or a virus, but she continued to feel consistently tired and was affected by bright lights.

She began missing school and even stopped going completely for just over a year.

"I had to have a home tutor and it affected all aspects of my life," said Anna, of Cliffe Road, Glossop.

"I couldn't see my friends that much or go on any school trips and a lot of them didn't understand why I was off."

She added: "I'm back at school now and I've managed to catch up in time for GCSEs so I've been quite lucky.

"I get good days and bad days and there's still some things I can't do like PE. But there's nothing you can take for ME so I just have to take it easy and I've learnt to live with it."