Brave Marshall climbs a mountain to help his family.

With thanks to Gail Bell and the Portadown Times for permission to use their article.

Above: Young Marshall Clint takes a well-earned break after reaching the summit of Slieve Donard in August with his dad William. The two took part in the climb to raise funds for Portadown ME support group which has been a source of much-needed help and support for Marshall's mum and grandmother who both suffer from the condition. For his next walking challenge, the young climber has set his sights on Mount Snowden in Wales

A  young Portadown boy has literally climbed a mountain to help support his mother and grandmother who both suffer from ME. Marshall Clint climbed Slieve Donard in August with his dad William, raising a grand total of £1,050 which was presented to the Portadown ME support group last week.

Marshall presented the cheque during a special visit to the Mayor's Parlour at the Civic Centre last Thursday evening, where the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Kenneth Twyble, accepted the amount on behalf of the group. The young football and rugby fan - not to mention James Bond fanatic - is now ready for his next adventure and has set his sights on Snowdon in Wales - although mum Wendy is not so sure! 

"He has now caught the climbing bug and there's no stopping him, but I don't know if he's quite ready for the Wales challenge yet," said Wendy. "Marshall is always hill-walking with his dad William in the Mournes during the summer and after William took part in the Great North Run to raise money for the local ME support group, Marshall wanted to do something as well."

"He dusted down his walking boots and off he went with his dad. It took them three hours to reach the summit and two-and-a-half hours to get back down. They started the climb from Donard car park in Newcastle, but William took Marshall back down the mountain via Bloody Bridge to make it more of an adventure for him. We are all very proud of how well he managed and the amount he raised which will help fund talks and activities for ME sufferers in Portadown."

It was a busy time for the primary school pupil, as, only one week later, he had his head in the clouds again after winning a competition to meet his football heroes at Newcastle United. "It was a great trip, as Marshall got to meet players like Michael Owen, Alan Smith and Shay Given who signed autographs and he watched his first Newcastle game. He started supporting the team with his dad, who began following the club after he and I attended university in Newcastle."

Wendy has been living with ME for 10 years now and was forced to give up a successful managerial job because of its debilitating effects on her health. Her mother Florence has had the condition even longer - for a gruelling 17 years - making Wendy wonder if there is a genetic susceptibility to the illness which now affects 150,000 people across the UK.

"Although ME is now officially recognised by the medical profession, it is still misunderstood in many spheres and often there are no obvious reasons why people get it," she said. "In my own case, I developed ME after suffering a rare allergic reaction to antibiotics I was given to treat severe gland and throat problems, which were probably caused by a virus in the first place."

"Many people think sufferers of ME are just tired all the time, but there are many other symptoms such as pain, muscle weakness, memory lapses, nausea and respiratory and gastro-intestinal upsets. I have neuralgia in my face and a weakness in one leg because of ME, but you just have to get on with it as best you can. It is a very frustrating illness, because it is difficult to plan things in advance as you don't know how you're going to feel from one day to the next, or even from one hour to the next. It is very hard when people ask how you feel, because on the surface you seem okay. I tend to say 'fine' because people don't really want to listen to a list of complaints. Living with ME is just something I have had to adapt to and while it can be very restrictive and get you down, it is important to try to make the best of things. There are some activities, for instance, that I would find it impossible to do with Marshall, but we can sit in the playroom together and play games and puzzles. He is a very understanding little boy and I think that is why he wanted to help raise funds for our group."

Support from others facing the same physical and emotional hurdles is vital and this is where the local support group comes in. Members meet on the second Monday of each month in Portadown Library and any new sufferers and carers are welcome. The next meeting is Monday, January 14, starting at 7.30pm. The Northern Ireland ME Association also offers information and advice and it can be contacted on 028-90439831.