Oonagh Cousins

Pinning my @ThereForME_UK blog on rest and grief in chronic illness - and how social attitudes towards rest changed depending on whether I was seen as an athlete or a patient. It really means a lot that it’s resonated. Thank you to everyone who’s read and shared. 🔗in⬇️tweet

Especially after yesterday, a MASSIVE shoutout to @ABrokenBattery for capturing so many of these moments! 🙏 Total public service to the ME community and we’re very, very grateful.

We’ve been working to change narratives around ME and Long Covid. Narratives can be notoriously difficult to shift but we’ve been chipping away at them over the past year. Part of this has been getting our team out in the media. We’ve also supported others to tell their stories

Doctors are to be given training in better ways to diagnose and treat people with ME - as part of a long delayed action plan that's finally been published. The debilitating condition with a range of symptoms including severe exhaustion and constant pain, affects around 400,000…

NEW: Mayor of London @SadiqKhan backs calls for immediate UK recognition of Palestinian statehood. It’s a rapidly growing demand within the Labour Party which may prove harder and harder for Keir Starmer to resist.

Mass starvation in Gaza and over 1,000 Palestinians killed while seeking aid since May. The government says the situation is intolerable yet they continue to tolerate it. The UK needs to stop all arms exports to the Israeli Government - today.

A short 🧵 celebrating a year of #ThereForME! It’s been a whirlwind and the biggest thanks to all who have played a part. By no means the biggest achievement but it will never cease to delight me that our only photo of our HQ trio together features our Christmas jumpers 🎄🎅

Congratulations to @ThereForME_UK today - an incredible year of advocacy. Thank you to the team for bringing communities together. #ThereForME #LCandME

(1/5) It has been great to collaborate with @ThereForME_UK this year on their campaign to create an NHS that's there for people with ME and Long Covid.

Huge congratulations to the @ThereForME_UK team as they celebrate their 1st Birthday So grateful to you @KarenLHargrave @GoreLloyd @oonagh_cousins on all that you've achieved & all that you're doing for us all, especially while going through so much yourselves 💙

And more here on our #ThereForME blog 👇 thereforme.uk/p/thereformes-…

So that is Year 1 of #ThereForME Wrapped! A huge thank you to everyone who has helped along the way. From support and encouragement on social media, to our gang of helpful volunteers - we couldn’t have done it without you 💙

We’ve also been working to bring lived experience to the heart of policymaking. We believe it’s essential to get lived experience in front of people with the power to influence policy and practice. 👇

Today we’re celebrating a year to the day since @KarenLHargrave & @GoreLloyd launched #ThereForME! We had a busy day yesterday responding to the Delivery Plan release. It’s clear how much more our campaign has left to do - but today we’re reflecting on what we’ve done so far.

A lot of work (and support from volunteers!) has gone into some of our bigger campaigns. From our #ThereForME advent calendar to #FundThePlan the past year has kept us busy.

We’re a small team and we can’t do it all. That’s why building a coalition is part of our strategy. We think change for people with ME and Long Covid will be the result of a diverse coalition calling for action from many directions. Some of our allies so far 👇

1 year of @ThereForME_UK ! Still count my lucky stars that Karen + Emma invited me to join the team. So proud of what we’ve achieved. Huge thanks to everyone who’s supported us -letters, interviews, surveys, shares. Our power is collective - we couldn’t have done it without you

This write up from @Channel4News is worth a look - more on @BentonNick18437’s story, who has done such an awesome job speaking out 💪

“We didn’t even see his eyes for over a year.” “It was like dealing with someone almost in a coma.” Clip from Channel 4 News: Nick Benton (@BentonNick18437) and his family on life with severe #MECFS — as the government finally releases its delivery plan.

Clip Sarah Boothby on todays BBC Breakfast segment on the UK government's new #MECFS Delivery Plan “I was accused of fabricating Maeve’s symptoms right up to the point in which she died. Two days before she died, we were subject to safeguarding investigations.”

Channel 4 News segment (5 mins) on the new government delivery plan for #MECFS. Interviews with Dr @BinitaKane, Sajid Javid and Nick Benton a patient and his family. youtu.be/1sYD5iBXw8k?si…