Articles
1,000 chances for a charity - Lauren's challenge
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- Category: General Information
- Published on Wednesday, 02 December 2015 23:02
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Lauren Chance is challenging herself to do a 1,000 mile walk over a 6 month period to raise funds for FMA UK. Lauren told us: ‘’My mom suffers from fibromyalgia and is an invisible disability. Others close to me also suffer from this disability which is incurable and causes widespread pain all over the body. I'm doing '1000 chances for charity' to raise money for Fibromyalgia Action UK to support the great work they do but my main aim is to raise awareness of fibromyalgia as it is a less known disability which isn't known by many people.
The idea came from a thought in my head whilst thinking about my New Year’s resolution which will ‘make a difference' and initially I was struggling to find a charity to do my fundraiser for. It was only when my mom mentioned about doing it for a fibromyalgia charity when the passion really kicked in. As my mom is a recently diagnosed sufferer of fibromyalgia, I have supported her as much as I can both emotionally and physically. It took medical professionals over 2 years to diagnose her and since diagnosis I have been to some sessions of her fibromyalgia support group. This gave me a much better insight as to what herself and others go through. This then opened my eyes and it showed that very little people actually know what this invisible disability is!
I went through the application process with my mom about PIP but unfortunately got rejected as the grading system is a bit broad. In support of my mom and also fibromyalgia, we got matching tattoos which carry the purple ribbon with two elephants joined together in order to symbolise the strength of not only my mom and myself in terms of our bond but also to show support to those who suffer from fibromyalgia. I would like to achieve £1000 altogether by saying £1 a mile and ultimately I would like to reach out to the local community to raise awareness of fibromyalgia but also the great work that this charity does.
Please support me on my quest for the fight of raising awareness of fibromyalgia. I'm aiming to raise £1 for every mile that I do so please give as much or as little as you can spare to help people who suffer from this invisible disease’’.
Lauren’s JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/1000chancesforcharity/
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Our professionally printed Information pack on fibromyalgia can be found here to view. You will also receive a free copy on request. We also have a booklet for young people with fibromyalgia that you can obtain on request and will be on the website soon.
FMA UK has recently changed some of its telephone numbers for helplines and groups. Please check here for more information on the New Contact Numbers if required.
FMA UK offers a range of support and information including:
- National Helpline 0300 999 3333 (10am - 4pm Mon - Fri)
- Benefits Helpline 0300 999 0055 (10am - 12pm Mon, Wed and Fri)
- Complimentary information booklets for doctors and other professionals (fully referenced)
- Books and videos
- Website Contacts with legal specialists
- Conferences
- Local support group and helpline contacts
The charity is run by volunteers, most of whom have fibromyalgia.
If your Health Care Professional needs some education in fibromyalgia you can request that an FMA UK Health Professionals Pack is sent out to them. All we need is the name of the Health CareProfessional and the address of their practice. We will then send a pack to their surgery addressed from us to them.
You can request a medical pack using this form.
You can find a Support Group near you by contacting the Regional Coordinator for your area. If there does not happen to be a support group near you then maybe you can join with some other members and set one up. Support groups provide a social benefit as well as the opportunity to share tips on coping with fibro. They come in all shapes and sizes and we are often told how they have helped people.
