This Movember, I'm growing my moustache for 30 days, and I need your support (along with the jokes about how bad/awesome my mo looks). I’ve decided to grow my Mo this Movember, for the sake of two very important people in my life (who have also given me plenty of grief for my ugly slug!).
While I’m participating in the growing part of Movember, I'm also wanting to raise awareness about Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) – also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).
ME/CFS is a debilitating condition that affects energy production at the cellular level throughout the whole body, for many men (and women) around the planet (estimated to be over 20,000 in NZ). Recovery from this can take anywhere from a few months to decades (if ever).
My 14 y.o. son, Leo, and 12 y.o. daughter, Nancy, have both been suffering with ME/CFS for nearly 3 years and over 3 years respectively, when they should have been doing normal kid stuff. Instead they are at home 24/7, with a very occasional outing, trying their best to keep it together, and work on their health. Mental health is greatly affected by people suffering from ME/CFS, as their ability to live a normal life is severely impacted (increased physical effort causes their systems to crash) and as a result are often isolated from the outside world.
Associated New Zealand ME Society (ANZMES - https://anzmes.org.nz/) supports research to discover how CFS is caused and potential treatments to aid recovery from ME/CFS, which continues to be an area of medical science that is relatively under-funded and a misunderstood condition (if interested, watch “Unrest” on Netflix to get a better idea of what having ME/CFS is like). With Covid-19 causing 1 in 10 to get “long-Covid”, which is very similar to ME/CFS, there is hope that this will bring increased focus and funding for this illness.
Thanks for your support (and jokes).
Mo Bro
Gordon Tucker
December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month
The quiz night raised $1093 which will be a great start for our 2021 LED project. We had record attendance and lots of raffle prizes due to the awesome support of our club’s own members and friends, and from members of Rotary clubs, Dunedin Central, St Kilda , South Dunedin and Rotaract Dunedin. Special thanks go to the quiz master Paul Fielding and the Otago Golf Club for the use of the venue.
Erosion of the beach and sand dunes, and damage to the sea wall and esplanade at St Clair, is a serious problem. Dunedin Ratepayers have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants and millions repairing coastal damage over the last 20 years with the situation only getting worse.
