Christmas Campaign Week #1
Our #ThereForME Advent Calendar launches!
We’re very excited to finally be able to share what we’ve been working on for the last couple of months - our #ThereForME advent calendar! Behind each door is a new person (or people, on occasion!) who are #ThereForME and their Christmas card to all those dealing with ME and Long Covid.
We’ll be opening our advent calendar doors each morning at 9am on Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook. But we’ll be sharing a round-up here every Tuesday with all the doors we’ve opened in the previous week, for those who prefer to open their advent calendar at a staggered pace.
We know there will be many who can't access the calendar themselves but we hope their carers (if they are lucky enough to have them) at least can feel strengthened by the show of support and pass it on if at all possible.
In our first update, we’re happy to share the first three supporters and their Christmas messages behind doors 1, 2 and 3.
December 1st
It's Dr William Weir, who has worked with and supported patients with ME for decades. His message:
“Best wishes for Christmas to everyone with ME or Long Covid. You all deserve excellent and appropriate treatment, with a full understanding of its causes. William Weir”
Over the summer Dr Weir (virtually) joined #ThereForME ambassador Dr. Binita Kane on the BBC Breakfast sofa to discuss the enormous gaps in care for people with ME.
December 2nd
It’s Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton. Jo is a Labour Party champion in parliament for people with ME and Long Covid. She’s also the new chair of the APPG on ME. Her message:
“My Christmas wish is for people with ME and Long COVID to be recognised and supported through healthcare and the workplace. Jo Platt MP”
The APPG will meet for the first time on 17 December. It would be fantastic to get as many MPs attending as possible. Writing to your MP can make all the difference (if you're able). There's a template you can use here to encourage them to attend.
December 3rd
LBC presenter Natasha Devon is #ThereForME! Her message:
“For people affected by ME and Long Covid, please know that you are in my thoughts this Christmas and I will continue to advocate for you whenever I can. Sending you so much love, Natasha Devon”
We're so grateful for Natasha's support. 💙
In case you missed it at the time, here’s some of Natasha’s recent ME coverage on LBC, including an epic ME call-in and an interview with our co-founder Karen.
December 4th
You’ll have to wait!
If you’re following us on social media, we’ll drop a clue at 5pm today and the next #ThereForME supporter will be revealed at 9am tomorrow. If you have social media and aren’t following us already, you can find us on Instagram, Twitter/X, Bluesky and Facebook.
Until next week.