More than 350 sportspeople, including Olympians Dina Asher-Smith and Tom Daley, have signed a letter to Andy Burnham calling for a meeting with former sprinter Beth Dobbin and increased funding for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) research.
Dobbin, 32, was diagnosed with what she describes as "life-decimating" ME and spends more than 22 hours a day in bed. ME is a chronic, fluctuating disease with symptoms including severe persistent fatigue, sleep problems, cognitive issues, and pain, with no known cure or specific treatment. Over 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, though the true figure could exceed one million.
On 21 October, Dobbin wrote to the prime minister but received no response. The letter, now backed by 360 sporting figures, includes signatures from Everton manager David Moyes, United States women's national team manager Emma Hayes, former Chelsea and England centre-back Millie Bright, and 114 Olympians and Paralympians such as Laura Muir, Eilish McColgan, and Adam Gemili.
The letter urges Burnham to "level the playing field" for ME research funding, citing that between 2019 and 2024 UK government research funders committed just £6.6 million for ME research, compared to £79.1 million for Parkinson's and £496.4 million for dementia. It states that prior to this, biomedical research funding was almost non-existent, resulting in no approved treatments.
Dobbin said she was taken aback by the support: "For many of my team-mates, I dropped off the face of the earth four years ago when I developed severe ME... It means so much to me. I hope that, with all of them behind me, Andy Burnham is listening and will commit to doing what's needed to deliver real change for a community that has been neglected for so long."
Since speaking publicly, Dobbin has experienced several "bad days" and can only bathe once a week. She described the risk of a "crash" triggered by minimal exertion. Karen Hargrave, co-founder of charity ThereForME, praised Dobbin's advocacy and called for the prime minister to meet her and close a £15 million funding gap for the Sequence ME & Long Covid project.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government is determined to accelerate progress in understanding and treating ME, supporting cutting-edge research including a genetic factors programme and a clinical trial for potential new treatments, and has published a plan developed with the ME community.
