Contributions by Joan Chappell
- Coffee Morning
- Meditation
As it was Fibromyalgia Awareness Week and I realized that not many people locally had probably even heard of Fibromyalgia, I decided to hold a Coffee Morning at my house on Friday 14th September 2007, to try and raise awareness, and at the same time raise some money to help things along.
I was delighted to find that my friends were willing to help me with this. And they took over running a Cake Stall, Bring and Buy, and a Raffle. I also had some help pre selling tickets. I was also amazed at the support I had from local shops in donating raffle prizes.
1. The Bring and Buy Stall
2. The Cake Stall
3. Hall with Bring and Buy
4. Joan talking about Fibromyalgia
Thankfully the day was a great success; I had 62 people come to my home. When we counted up afterwards we found that we had raised a substantial £591.50.
I therefore decided to donate £441.50 to The Surrey and Sussex Support Group, who have supported me so well in the last year. In spite of the fact that I live in Bedfordshire.
The remaining £150 is going to Jeanne Hambleton to help with the publishing costs of her new book “Pain 24/7 The Fibromyalgia Jigsaw ©”, as she is donating the profits from the sale of this book to FM Research.
I thought you might also like to see a poem I wrote about the Coffee Morning.
A Coffee Morning at my house did hold.
Goodness me did not think I could be so bold!
Word went round the village
Posters they did see
On shop windows
All stuck there by me!
Fibromyalgia what on earth is that!
Maybe it’s something that’s brought in by the cat
Or is it a dish that is cooked on the fire
If I said that, you could call me a liar.
No come to my home and you will find out
What this FM is really all about!
Joan Chappell
Joan, you did incredibly well. Congratulations and grateful thanks for all your efforts on our behalf. The money raised will assuredly be well spent.
Excerpt from Fibromyalgia Focus July-Sept 2008
I thought perhaps my own personal experience of MBCT - Mindfulness Base Cognitive Therapy - I would like to share with other members. Two months ago I was in hospital with severe depression which was making my FM symptoms very severe, whilst there the Doctor treating me suggested MBCT which is used by the medical profession for chronic pain, anxiety, fm etc. It entails listening to CD's of a Dr Jon Kabet-Zinn of the University of Massachusetts who founded "Mindfulness" It’s about being mindfully aware of each moment. Treating a thought as just an obsevervable thought and letting it go. Basically changing the way you think and react to different situations. I do 40 min meditation each day it has given me a profound sense of well being, by stilling the mind that reflects throughout the physical body. My sleep is so much better now as well. Meditation is now part of my every day life; I would miss it if I did not do it! Dr Jon Kabet-Zinn can be found on the Internet, I have just ordered 2 more CD's of his.
Mindfulness CDs and Tapes can be ordered from www.mindfulnesstapes.com where there is also information about Dr Jon Kabet-Zinn.
 
|
Buy-at the FMS SAS on-line shop.