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Joanna's Goodbye |
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As many of you will be aware I have been part of the team at ME North East for a number of years and it is with great sadness that I am now leaving.
When I was 23 and in the early stages of my illness I felt very isolated and wanted to meet other young sufferers whose lives had also temporarily been put on hold. I also felt very strongly about helping young people to work through this awful period of their lives and wanted to help out on a voluntary basis for a few hours a week. Since that initial contact and over the last 5 years my role within the organisation has changed dramatically! Working with the illness has been extremely challenging and at times frustrating but in the last few years I have been able to work one day a week at the office and a number of hours from home. From working with the young people’s group to organising yearly fundraising events my role has meant also working with sufferers, their families and friends. Two years ago I returned to living with my parents in York. Living independently in the North East was too much on my health and I took the big step to move back home. I have once a week travelled up to work on the train and then worked from home on the charity website and other pieces of work. The distance factor has increasingly become frustrating for me as I have tried to organise and support events from a distance. Unable to be in the office on a daily basis has been difficult and this is why I have had to make the very tough decision to leave. I have learnt so much from working not only for ME North East but how things operate within the Voluntary Sector (a big difference to my degree in design and manufacturing background and chosen career path!) On a final note thank you to all those individuals and members who have supported the charity, turned up to support or taken part in events I have organised. I have been extremely fortunate that so many of my friends and family have either acted as volunteers at fundraising events or taken part - although many reluctant at first! I have a lot of special memories from the last 5 years. Thank you, All at ME North East will miss Joanna — she has become one of “our family”. We all wish her the very best and a happy and healthy future. |