I don’t know about you but I have a love /loathe relationship with social media?  It’s like a soap opera with all its riddles, twists, and attention seeking turns, and boy did it kick off yesterday over what a let-down the Eastenders conclusion was.  Did anyone else notice the similarities between Bobby and Damien from the Omen?.

Social media is like  the Jeremy Kyle show, and there’s us sat at our screens either the guests or addicted spectators……just one more look eh?

And even in their hospital gowns people insist on posting a last gasp selfie  for us all to Awwww  over, surely it can’t be long before all this drama is turned into a red carpet event?...…”and the award for best Facebook theatrics goes to…..?”  

                Watford Observer:   

Although, I have a lot to thank social media for its true, as a music artist that can’t gallivant around the country performing; I’ve still been able to create an online presence that’s reached the far corners of the world,  It also allows me  to work in a charitable capacity so there are some huge pluses for sure.  Unfortunately for most of us the dramas are unavoidable and just part of what social media has come to be about, you have to take the good with the bad, but at least I can still have  teeth unlike Jeremy kyles  guests so it seems?

               Watford Observer:

Talking of TV, did you know that Watford is getting its own online TV channel? They say that switch on will be soon, but in the meantime you can like & follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/watfordtv/timeline & Twitter https://twitter.com/watford_tv 

Ok, well this weeks Challenge feature is somewhat different from the marathons I mentioned in previous weeks  columns. This is about the challenge to stay alive, and the reasoning for this will hopefully become clearer as we go. The following poem was written in 1995 by a young 14 yr old girl called Vanessa Yeuk Lin Li

Mercy

Have mercy,  

Melt the bars of this cage of pain

It never did belong to me

I have tumbled down from the tree

I have sat in the rain

Have mercy

I would dive in your eyes as I would in seas

Only my heart is too vain –

It never did belong to me

It is getting hard to breathe

If only this were just a game –

Have mercy

Living scares me to death but dying is easy

I’d leave you my name –

It never did belong to me

If I threw away the key

If someday I turned insane

Have mercy –

Because it never did belong to me

On  February 4th 2015  after having suffered with the horrendous condition ME  for far too long, Vanessa took her own life. She felt that she couldn’t go on anymore, not without a cure in sight, the pain had become too much to bear and she felt death was the only practical solution.

She left behind a note, some of which she wanted sharing with you, the public,  in the hope that her death would not be in vain.  She asked that her body be donated for ME research and her family are organising for that to happen. She also wanted you to know the truth about ME, and the lack of research into the illness as a result of neglect from medical authorities worldwide.

                 Watford Observer:

Vanessa was a beautiful vibrant young woman that loved life.  She could represent any one of us or our family members either right now or in the future, I shed a tear when I read the words she’d left behind, because they are true. ME sufferers don’t give up on life, our governments and medical authorities have abandoned us , leaving us without hope or choice other than to suffer daily with little or no support except  from a loved one whose own life is turned upside down at becoming an instant carer. http://www.microbediscovery.org/blog/2014/08/13/mothers-gift/

I’m as scared as the next ME sufferer, as individuals and as a community we hold onto some sort of virtual hope, we continue fighting for change, raising our own awareness and our own funds for research while knowing only too well that hope is but a spark that could easily go out for any one of us just as it did for Vanessa.  I think I can safely say from all of us that our condolences, love & thoughts are with her family right now.

For anyone struggling whether with illness or other life challenges please reach out and speak  to someone, if you can’t talk to family or friends then there’s some great organisations out there depending on your situation. While life challenges may feel lonely, there is always someone that cares.

                                Til next week, stay blessed

                                  Back before Elvis XXX 

https://www.facebook.com/RunninOnEmptee1

https://twitter.com/RunninOnEmptee 

http://ldifme.org/

http://www.investinme.org/