A 10-year-old girl with ME has vented her anger in a viral video at a new treatment which claims it can ‘cure’ her condition – with three days of ‘positive thinking’.
Brave Shannon Tiday has lived with debilitating of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis for seven years and issued her own personal message on why suffers can’t simply think themselves better.
She suffers symptoms including crushing headaches, sensitivity to light, extreme fatigue, blackouts and disorientation known as ‘brain fog’.
She decided to speak out after hearing of the new treatment known as the Lightning Process which purports to relieve ME with psychological therapy in just three days.
It is claimed the course can cure a wide range of emotional and physical illnesses using mental exercises to train the brain to fight illness.
But Shannon, of Plymouth, Devon, who has to be largely home-schooled because of her condition, spoke out against it and said she was angry at the impression it gave.
In her video, which has been viewed over 6,000 times, she said: “Do you think we don’t want to go to school? What’s wrong with you?
“It just makes me so mad to hear that from people. They say to raise your hand out and say, ‘Stop.’ Don’t you think I tried that?
“It hurts to know people think you’re putting it on. But that’s their fault, they don’t know what it’s like. We’ve got this illness, we just have to keep rising above it.”
Shannon says she had blood tests and endless referrals when the first symptoms began to materialise and when tests came back negative the consensus was that the condition was in her head.
She added: “They told my mum to wait outside because they thought she was making me say things and do things.
“Now here I am, I’ve got ME.
“Hopefully some day they’ll have a cure for ME. I’ve been through this before, don’t think you’re alone.
“People said when I first got diagnosed, ‘She’s faking, it’s all in her head. She just wants to be ill, she don’t want to go to school.'”
Shannon can only attend school once a week as the environment causes her too much fatigue.
She also has a low tolerance for ‘high energy’ activities, which included eating, bathing, and travelling in the car and which leave her exhausted.
Since her video went viral, her family has been inundated with messages from all over the world supporting her.
“I’m doing this video to help others,” Shannon added.
“The main thing you have to know is don’t ever give up. If you carry on and try to achieve more, you are one of ME’s heroes.
“You’re showing other children what it’s like and showing them you’re not alone. And that’s what I like to do.”
Mum Sharon, 42, said: “It’s damaging to children by almost saying to them, ‘If you don’t get better, blame yourself.’
“There are stupid accusations coming out in the media about the Lightning Process and how it can improve ME because ME sufferers want to be ill, they can apparently think themselves better.
“My amazing daughter Shannon has a powerful message to them.”
