Smiling Clare - Part 33

Fundraising on May 12th

On 29th April 2015

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post I’m going to be fundraising for Invest in ME on May 12th by dressing as a Princess for the day! To say I’m excited about this is an understatement; finding a way to fundraise when you have so little energy is rather difficult, so this is a big thing.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and donations I have received so far on my JustGiving page: I reached £50, half my initial target, in under a week! If you’ve been following my progress on the JustGiving page, Facebook or Twitter you’ll know I shared a photo of my homemade, hand knitted tiara when I reached that halfway point.

My hand knitted tiara, complete with blue sequin jewels

I also received a wonderful fundraising pack from the charity I am supporting; Invest in ME. I will proudly be wearing the sash as part of my Princess costume!

My Fundraising pack from Invest in ME

The reason I am fundraising for an M.E charity is because we need research into the cause if we are to ever find an effective treatment and hopefully a cure! I also want to raise as much awareness about M.E. as possible, since it is still a misunderstood illness and the attitudes towards people who suffer from it can be very hurtful. Raising awareness and educating everyone about M.E. can only improve this!

I’ve promised that if I reach my £100 target before May 12th I’ll give you all a sneak peek of my Princess dress! So if you want that sneak preview, and to help me smash my £100 target please text PCJW78 followed by the amount you want to donate (£1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or£10) to 70070 (e.g. PCJW78 £4 to 70070) or head over to my JustGiving page: http://www.justgiving.com/PrincessClare

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A Holiday!!

By Clare

On 24th April 2015

I still can’t quite believe I’m writing this but at the end of March I managed to get away for the weekend. I haven’t been away from home like that for over five years; it’s been so long I can’t remember the year of our last holiday! But this year we finally managed it again, and it was brilliant!!

Sure there were some minor issues; we got lost on the way there, I found the bed too firm, the shower was inaccessible and I wasn’t well enough to do anything but lie in the apartment during the evenings. However it was great to have a change of scenery and some sea air!

We only ventured off Butlins site once and that was a bit of a mistake; a three mile walk (wheel) to the centre of Skegness and three miles back in wind and rain wasn’t the best idea! But what holiday would be complete without a hilarious story like that?!

The site itself was really nice, and most importantly of all very wheelchair friendly! I managed to get out and about during the days during our stay and took quite a few pictures despite the wind and rain.

I underestimated just how much good a change of scenery could do, sure the journey was tiring (and slightly stressful when we were lost!) and I didn’t get much restful sleep at night but that didn’t seem to impact on my health too badly. And the payback afterwards wasn’t as severe as I had expected.

For years, I’ve believed holidays were out of the question; based on how badly I coped (or should that be didn’t cope?) with them during the first few years of being ill. Despite the fact we had to take a lot of additional stuff and the few minor issues I mentioned, this one weekend away has proved a holiday is manageable! Overall I had such a fantastic time I’m already looking at places we could go next! Now that’s something I didn’t foresee happening!!

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The Princesses and M.E

By Clare

On 13th April 2015

In ME Awareness

Last year a brilliant group of friends dressed up as Princesses for M.E. Awareness day, at the time I was invited to join in by the Queen of the group who organised it all but unfortunately I was unable to given everything that was going on in my life at the time. This year I’m proud to say I’ll be joining them on May 12th!

The aim is to raise money for M.E. charities; that’s right not just the one charity, we’ll each choose our own charity to fundraise for! Of course some of us might pick the same one but they’ll be a few different ones mixed in. I shall be raising money for Invest in ME as it’s a charity I feel is doing a lot to aid research into ME.

I’ll be posting photos of a Princessified me on all my social media accounts on the day and where possible I’ll be tagging Invest in ME and their fundraising account Let’s Do It For ME so the photos and event can be spread as far and wide as possible.

I’ve set up a JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/PrincessClare or you can donate via text by sending PCJW78 followed by either £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 to 70070 (For example PCJW78 £3 to 70070) You can find the pages of other UK based Princesses on our team page: http://www.justgiving.com/teams/teamprincess

For now I need to get on with sewing sequins onto my knitted crown ready for the big day!

If you want to know more about The Princesses and ME check out the Facebook page or this post on Queen Sian’s blog!

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The Power Balance Energy Wristband

By Clare

On 1st April 2015

In Product Reviews

Over the last few years I’ve become a fan of magnetic therapy. To begin with I was skeptical but after wearing a magnetic bracelet for a few weeks I found with it on my fatigue was slightly improved, my aches and pains reduced fairly significantly and joint stiffness alleviated. I was converted to magnetic therapy. Sadly my trusty magnetic bracelet snapped a few weeks ago so I had to search for another magnetic bracelet.

It was during this search I came across the Power Balance Energy wristband. At £11.99 plus postage it was one of the cheaper magnetic products with good reviews. And I thought it was worth giving it a try. There were many colour choices, I opted for pink/grey, there is also a choice of sizes, I measured my wrist before choosing small then sat back and waited for it’s arrival. It took just two working days from ordering for it to arrive.

On first glance it just looks like a smart wristband, but on closer inspection on the inside of the band is a silver holographic pentagon which I’m guessing contains the magnetic magic. It seems to be made of high quality material and I’m really pleased with the way it looks on my wrist. Another advantage of it compared with a magnetic bracelet is it’s weight; it is much lighter than my previous bracelet which makes it a lot more pleasant to wear on bad days.

As for the benefits; I’d spent a few days without wearing a magnetic bracelet prior to the arrival of my Power Balance Energy wristband. And I can say it has made a difference to my aches, pains and stiffness. I’m not saying it’s a miraculous cure, it’s not, but it has made a noticeable difference to my pain levels. As for fatigue, that has reduced a little too. I’ve found my sleep has improved since wearing the wristband too.

As I said this is not a miracle cure, far from it. But I have found it has eased some of my daily symptoms and as a result made my life that little bit easier, which is why I’d recommend it.

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