Finally, an ME Debate in Parliament that gives us hope

Like so many other ME Patients & their Carers, I tuned in on 21 June 2018 to watch live the Debate on ME in Parliament fought for and secured by the wonderful Carol Monaghan MP.

Despite all the positivity surrounding this, I found myself not actually wanting to watch the debate.  So many times over the last 2 decades I have heard that things are going to change for ME Patients, but time and time again, we have been let down, our hopes dashed.

But not this time.

I sat there, watching, listening and frankly, could not believe what I was witnessing.  Every single MP who spoke....and there were just so very many....spoke with passion, knowledge, compassion and anger at how abandoned ME Patients have been.  Every single one had first hand knowledge of ME Patients, many of Severe ME Patients, and they spoke loudly for them.

Several phrases jumped out at me:

"appalling way ME Patients have been treated"

"left to rot"

"lives wrecked"

"cruel"

"Silent Sufferers.  They shall be silent no more"

"Patients' experience is also evidence"

"GET is doing harm, now"

"Training is desperately needed for Doctors & on Medical students' curriculum"

"lack of knowledge"

"Not good enough"

"Biomedical Research needed"

"A forgotten illness"

"ME Patients are 6 x more likely to commit suicide"

"too many myths"

"Sufferers voiceless for too long"

"PACE flawed"

I have to admit, I could not watch it all in one sitting.  I often had tears streaming down my face.  As I sat there, so lucky to have reclaimed a decent quality of life against the odds....I felt so angry and desperately saddened by all the lives wrecked, all the dreams shattered and all the lives lost to this most cruel of illnessess.

But once I had stopped weeping, I felt something new stir in my heart:  HOPE.  Hope that, finally, just finally, things might be about to change for ME Patients and their Carers.

To Carol Monaghan and every single MP who spoke for us, Thank You.  From the bottom of my heart, Thank You.

Full transcript of Debate can be found via this link.

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-06-21/debates/A49A6117-B23B-4E35-A83B-49FEF0D6074F/METreatmentAndResearch