We’d like to say a special thank you to all who lit a candle during the Vigil for International ME Awareness Day 2008. Special thanks also to all the organizations, groups and individuals who helped to publicise the event.

Virtual Candles were lit in 13 different countries from Britain to Barbados, from Austria to Australia, New Zealand, America, Canada, Guatemala, and Western Sahara, France, Holland, Germany and Denmark. Kind expressions of support also came from Italy and Malta with 2 of Malta’s Newspapers covering news of the vigil, so we have no doubt that many real candles were lit around the world also. The sense of community joining together as one, that made the vigil successful was wonderful.

Virtual candles continue to be lit in our group "vfme" at gratefulness.org. We can light candles, whether real or virtual, for the ME Community and Supporters at any time and we can know that even a lone candle shining in the darkness is never really alone.

Let’s hope that the vigil raised awareness of the need for biomedical research into ME and helped to raise the profile of some of the excellent charities who are working in the field. Some of them provide newsletters, keeping their supporters up to date with new research, please consider supporting them by making a donation if you can (see links below).

If you wish to be kept up to date with future news please sign up for our mailing list below.

Some guidelines and ideas.

• Set aside a time during the day when you can be undisturbed for some quiet time.

• Light a candle and relax in a comfortable position, as relaxed as you can.

• Spend some time in silence to allow your thoughts to settle.

• Link in thought with anyone within the ME community who you care about.

• Visualise and stand in solidarity with individuals, groups, organisations and initiatives you know are actively working for the good of the ME community.

• Reflect on the qualities that best support us in our endeavours to help one another and which encourage unity and harmonious relationships within the global ME community. Each one of us has an important role to play – there is great strength in unity.

• Rest in quiet contemplation for as long as you wish, and close by saying a prayer or an affirmation of your choice. You may, if you prefer, go on to do a meditation before closing.

Please take care with candles and do not leave burning candles unattended. Tea lights with tea light holders are a good choice. If you have access to the internet, you may light a virtual candle as part of our group "vfme" at gratefulness.org.

For those who need multilingual instructions for lighting a virtual candle in our group, here is an alternative link. When asked to associate your candle with a group, please type the initials “vfme”.

By telling family, friends and colleagues about the vigil and posting this website widely you can help to expand the circle of people taking part. If you know of anyone who might be interested in participating you can email this page to them or print it out and send it to them.

ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) is classified by the World Health Organisation as a neurological illness (International Classification of Disease 10: G93.3).

Symptoms include severe postexertional malaise with flu like symptoms, sore throat, overwhelming postexertional physical and mental exhaustion, painful muscles and joints, cognitive problems such as loss of short term memory and difficulty concentrating, light and noise sensitivity, gastro-intestinal problems, sleep problems. Around a quarter of people with the disease are severely disabled, some are house, wheelchair and bedbound, and some have to be tube fed. Children as well as adults develop ME. A major epidemiological study, co authored by Jane Colby of the Tymes Trust, found that it is a major cause of long term sick absence from school in children.

The illness has been trivialised, especially in the media. It is not trivial. ME is a serious illness, and for the lives of people with ME, their families and carers, the consequences are often devastating. The UK Chief Medical Officer's report in 2002 recognised that "CFS/ME should be classed as a chronic condition with long term effects on health, alongside other illnesses such as Multiple Sclerosis and Motor Neurone Disease."

At present there is no cure or effective treatment and the cause of the illness is unknown. In recent years, however, U.K. researchers, funded by small charities, have carried out groundbreaking research into the genetic origins of ME, offering hope for a diagnostic blood test and indicating possible drug treatments. In an interesting and informative article in The Telegraph about recent research published in the Journal of Clinical Pathology, award winning science writer, Bob Ward, quoted Anne Faulkner of The CFS Foundation as saying "We believe that this illness can and will be conquered, but it will need the dedicated work of distinguished scientists and the determination of people in the community to bring it about."

Here are some links to more information about ME and biomedical research into the illness:

• C.F.S. Foundation UK - a UK charity supporting high quality research aimed at understanding the basis of ME/CFS and its treatment.

• ME Research UK - a UK charity funding biomedical research into the causes, consequences and treatment of ME/CFS. Also has a mission to ‘energise ME research’ and has links to regional and international support groups and organisations, and websites offering disability related information and advice.

• Invest in ME - independant UK charity campaigning for biomedical research into ME. You can sign up for their e-newsletter.

• Tymes Trust - a UK charity that has funded biomedical research into children (results expected shortly). Also offers a range of services for children and young people with M.E., their families and professionals.

• The National CFIDS Foundation - An American organisation funding biomedical research into CFIDS (ME/CFS) Also provides information, education and support.

• Nightingale Research Foundation - A Canadian charity dedicated to the study and treatment of ME and CFS, and related illnesses. Also provides information to researchers, the legal and advocate community, healthcare professionals, patients and caregivers.

• Whittemore Peterson Institute - A place in Nevada, America, where doctors and researchers will team together in an effort to find the cause of certain neurological immune diseases like Chronic Fatigue.