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Community: Real Life

Hello from my bed


Viks

Viks is 21 and from Surrey. She's bed-bound due to M.E., but works hard as co-founder of Post Pals, a website community for sick young people.
Entry: 1
Date: 11/10/2006

Viks greets us from her bedroom, and introduces us to her world as an M.E. sufferer.

Like so many others, I lived a 'normal' life as a child, up until the age of nine when a school vaccination sent my life on a very slow, downward spiral. I had developed M.E., and little did I know that by the age of 17 I would need to be taken to the toilet, spoon-fed and rolled over to vomit, or that often I wouldn't even be able to communicate.

I've spent the past five years lying in a blacked-out, quiet room. It's not all doom and gloom though; I believe life is what you make it, and although there have been times when I haven't been able to do anything at all, I plan on doing as much as possible and then some!

I may not know what it's like to hold down a job, have my own place to live or even be pain-free, but I do know how the smallest things can make a world of difference. The majority of people who have a long-term illness lose their previous friends, and I'm no exception to this. When I was unable to make contact with my friends, I felt very isolated, but after one of my articles was published in a charity magazine people started writing to me. During this time I wasn't well enough to reply, but they kept writing. Mum would come into my room, read them to me and show me the picture on the card. It became the highlight of my day. I have very few memories of this period of time, except for how the post made me feel.

"James was on daily chemotherapy and had developed large, painful abscesses, so he was in need of something to smile about."

Once I felt a bit better, I started to think of all the people out there who feel isolated due to ill health. I decided I wanted to do something about it, so came up with the idea of Post Pals. I told a friend about it and got a few others on board. Other people thought we couldn't do it as three of us had left school early, and we all had health problems, not to mention there was nothing like it in the UK. Luckily, the Prince's Trust saw the potential and awarded us £12,000 of lottery money. I couldn't believe it when I got the call to tell us! So, Post Pals was born. We feature children with serious illnesses on our website - most have cancer or are going through transplants. Each member has their own page, with their personal story and a forwarding address. Members of the public log on and send cards, e-mails and small gifts to brighten the child's day. Anyone can do it, and it really does make a difference. If I'm ever having a bad day or have more work than I think I could possibly do, I just have to look at a photograph of one of the children surrounded by post and it spurs me on.

Our first child to join was nine year-old James, who had recently been diagnosed with leukaemia. He was starting a three-and-a-half-year course of daily chemotherapy and had also developed large, painful abscesses, so he was in need of something to smile about. We cheered him up and in return James and his twin sister Pip inspired us to keep going with what felt like an uphill battle - for every 'no' we received, we kept going. As we now had someone relying on us, we simply couldn't give up. Since then, we've helped over 50 families who have a seriously ill child, and have received a grant from Children in Need, which has enabled us to expand even more.

This year has been a year of achievements for both myself and for Post Pals - some have been more measurable than others. For example, I won Readers' Digest Hero of the Year. Also, in February, I was helped to try and sit on the edge of my bed for 20 seconds. That may not sound like much to most people, but when you've not done it for over four years it feels like an eternity! Now I can sit for a while on the floor - I even sat up for a photograph with Fearne Cotton at an awards ceremony. This was the first upright and outside photo of me for a very long time. A year ago if you would've said I'd be doing that already I wouldn't have believed you. I now can't wait to find out what the next year will hold.


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