FERMANAGH & South Tyrone MP Pat Cullen will chair a discussion on the debilitating condition of ME during a Féile event in West Belfast next.
Taking place next Tuesday, the former Chief Executive and General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, will be in conversation with Belfast city councillor Siobhán McCallin who had to retire from teaching due to ME. Dr Charles Shepherd from the ME Association has recorded a video intro for the event.
ME is a chronic fatigue syndrome which can leave the sufferer bedbound with extreme tiredness. Around 10,000 people in the North are affected with ME, with 80 per cent women.
David Christie from ME Support NI, which is based on the Falls Road, is encuraging people to attend the event at St Mary’s University College.
“We’re incredibly proud to be bringing this conversation to Féile,” said David. “It’s a rare and important opportunity to centre the voices of people with ME — not just in West Belfast, but across the North. We need everyone at the table if we’re going to make real progress.
“This event is about people coming together — those living with ME, their families, campaigners, politicians, and professionals — to say clearly that the current system isn’t working, and people deserve better.
“For decades people with ME have been left without the care, understanding or recognition they need. This is a moment to challenge that silence and stand up for the thousands who too often feel invisible.
“We’re proud that this conversation is being shaped and led by people who actually live with ME, who know first-hand what it means to be dismissed, disbelieved or left behind.
“It’s not just that there are no services, it’s that there are people, thousands of them, living without professional support. That’s what has to change.”
The discussion takes place on Tuesday August 5 at 3pm.
