A NAILSEA teenager who suffers from ME is planning to jump out of a plane to raise awareness of his condition.
Ben Thomas and his sister Charlotte are completing a sky dive on March 2 in aid of Action for ME which provides support for people who suffer from the condition.
Ben was diagnosed with ME - also know as chronic fatigue syndrome – in 2009 after two years of suffering from the symptoms.
He was a pupil at Nailsea School at the time and was unable to take all of his exams due to the seriousness of his condition.
Ben said: “When I was in school I’d come home and just break down and go to bed.
“After I left school I was in bed for months recovering.
“It’s a lot of effort to do small things like leaving the house because I don’t have any energy.
“I only leave to go to appointments because I get so exhausted with just simple walks of about 20 minutes long.
“Another thing it affects is my speech and memory.
“I’m barely doing anything now but it’s a big improvement from what I was doing before when I was just worn out all the time.”
ME can leave sufferers fatigued and nauseous after carrying out simple day-to-day tasks and often means they cannot hold down a job.
It can also affect their personal lives as friends and colleagues struggle to understand the condition, for which there is currently no cure.
The sky dive will be a huge step for Ben, who is rarely able to leave the house, but he is looking forward to taking on the challenge.
Ben and Charlotte are hoping their sky dive will help to raise awareness of the condition and how it affects people.
To sponsor them visit www.justgiving/charlyandben
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