Team Princess fundraiser 2016

The time has come again for us to become Princesses on M.E Awareness day! For those of you unfamiliar with what Team Princess is, we are a group of sufferers who become Princesses for a day to raise awareness and money for M.E charities.  We have raised over £10,000 so far for UK & Australian charities and have funded research and drug trials as well as supporting various services the charities have to offer people.

Me and my mini Princess last year 

Our founder and official Queenie Sian, who blogs over at Me, myself and M.E came up with the idea a few years ago. She wanted to raise awareness as well as fundraise but she also wanted to celebrate some of the people who display different qualities which in her eyes make them true Princesses. Being brave, strong and having courage to name a few. For being there for each other despite all suffering. Spoonie sisters we like to refer to it as.

Sian has written a very informative blog post with all the information and details of how to join Team Princess which you can find here.

This year, despite my illness and all it brings, I decided I wanted to try to be more positive. I have surprised myself with how I've managed and every night I have written something good from the day in a diary. It has made me realise that even on the worst days, for whatever reason, there is still always something good no matter how small. Which kind of leads me into the charity I have chosen to support this year...

Those of you who know me will know how much I love a Random Act of Kindness (RAOK)! I really enjoy sending people things and knowing it has made them smile is the nicest feeling.

So, I am excited to announce that the charity I am hoping to raise lots of money for is Smile for ME. It is a fantastic charity run by two lovely ladies, Alice and Gracey, who are both poorly themselves. They send personalised presents to sufferers or carers who have been nominated by someone for a smile. I have nominated friends through them previously and all I'll say is that it was emotional when they received their parcels!

M.E can be a very isolating and debilitating illness so to receive something lovely and unexpected can make a huge difference and give you a massive boost. I would love to be able to raise enough money to send lots and lots of Smile packages! If you wanted to nominate someone you can complete the nomination form.

Of course on May 12th I will be dressing as a Princess so will be sharing photos and information on my social media. However if you want to donate now, my fundraising page is HERE!

I have a Facebook page for my blog here which if you follow you will be able to keep up to date with stuff. I will also be holding an auction on or around the day and have some fab prizes which have kindly been donated by some of my favourite independent businesses. I will provide details shortly! The Team Princess Facebook page will have lots of information about the event so please give us a like to be kept in the loop. The team JustGiving page is here.

I have had a lot of amazing support in the previous two years so I am really excited about this one! Thank you in advance for donating and supporting me. This illness is really difficult to live with so if I can help make fellow sufferers smile then I'll be happy.

For more information about what M.E is and how it affects me, please see some of my previous posts What is M.E?, Diagnosis & remembering life before M.E, (In)visible, A day in the life of ME!

Thank you for getting to the end as I know it's a long one!

Ali
xx