Olympian Dobbin writes to Prime Minister over ME funding

Former British sprinter Beth Dobbin calls on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fund more research into "life-decimating" ME. 'It feels like you're days away from death' – Beth Dobbin Former British sprinter Beth Dobbin has called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to fund more research into the "life-decimating" condition that has resulted in her spending 22 hours a day in bed. On Friday, 32-year-old Dobbin – who raced at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago – revealed in an interview with BBC Sport she had been diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis). ME is a chronic, fluctuating disease, causing symptoms such as sleep problems, problems with thinking and memory, pain and severe, persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest, and more.

It has no known cure or specific treatment. More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, although the true figure could exceed one million, with severity ranging from people able to work or study to those requiring round-the-clock care and tube feeding. In a letter to Burnham, external, Dobbin said: "ME has been neglected and psychologicalised for years. "It has received so little government funding for research over the years compared to other illnesses. As a consequence, there are no approved treatments. "There are also currently no provisions within the NHS for severe ME patients