Catherine Asta, from Ilkley, who has ME/CFS, has launched a new national campaign, ‘Move for ME’, to increase awareness during ME Awareness Month this May and to help raise £10,000 for The ME Association, a charity that has supported her throughout her illness.
Move for ME invites people to move in any way they can – be it walking, stretching, pedalling, dancing, going for a picnic, or simply sharing a get-together with friends and donating what you’d normally spend on coffee. Every act represents the freedom and physical participation that people living with ME/CFS are so often denied.
Catherine has navigated life with ME/CFS alongside a recent neurodivergent diagnosis, and surviving breast cancer – experiences that have shaped her life. The idea for the campaign was sparked by a conversation with her nine-year-old daughter about what they would do if they could swap bodies for a day.
Catherine said:
“I told my daughter I’d love to have her energy for just one day — to run on the moors, to swim, to hike like I used to, it made me quite emotional. The general public don’t see what ME/CFS is. It’s a disabling, misunderstood illness that takes away energy, independence and often the ability to move at all.”
Today, even minimal movement can leave Catherine severely unwell, causing debilitating crashes that render her unable to function and often bedbound. Catherine spends 90% of her day laid down, conserving energy to enable her to collect her daughter on the school run.
“I can no longer walk, run, swim, hike, cycle, travel, explore, gather or move the way I once could. So, this ME Awareness month, I’m asking friends, families, colleagues and communities to Move for ME, to do one small movement in any way they can. Small actions matter, and every act of movement, no matter how small, becomes an act of solidarity. Seeing people move for me helps me feel less invisible. It reminds me, and others living with ME/CFS, that our lives still matter, even when we can’t participate in the world the way we once did.”
ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), also known as CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome), is a multisystemic disease. Symptoms include profound fatigue, sleep disturbance, post-exertional malaise, cognitive difficulties and a range of other symptoms including pain, headaches, nausea and intolerance to lights and noise. It is estimated that at least 404,000 people in the UK have ME/CFS. In addition, 950,000 people unable to recover from a Covid infection could meet the diagnostic criteria for ME/CFS, which could mean that 1,350,000 adults and children in the UK are affected by ME/CFS.
Participants can choose to move once, weekly, or throughout the month of May. The goal is to raise £10,000 for The ME Association to help improve understanding, research, patient support and care for those with ME/CFS.
Catherine is also publishing a new book in May to coincide with ME Awareness Month.‘Still Living’ is a radically honest memoir exploring the mountains we never choose to climb. Through the metaphor of a mountain, Catherine traces her journey through breast cancer, chronic illness, ME/CFS and profound identity rupture — and what it means to find a way home to oneself when life has been irrevocably reshaped.
Martine Ainsworth-Wells, trustee and campaigns director at The ME Association said:
“Catherine has an important story to tell, and her Move for ME campaign is truly inspiring. Her courage in sharing her personal journey with ME/CFS, and her determination to turn such a challenging reality into something positive, is incredibly powerful. Move for ME beautifully highlights the everyday movements that so many people with ME/CFS, like Catherine, can no longer enjoy, and it offers a meaningful and thoughtful way for others to show their support.
We encourage everyone to get involved in Move for ME this May, in any way they can, and help Catherine achieve her ambitious £10,000 fundraising goal for The ME Association. Every contribution will support our vital work in research, advocacy and patient care.”
If you have been inspired by Catherine's story and would like to donate or take part, please visit https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/moveforme
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