Gone, but not forgotten
As we approach 2021 we want to remember those we lost this year, including members of the ME community in Wales.
Helen Price
Helen was a long time member of the Carmarthenshire ME support group. She played an active role in spite of her illness. She was also a welcome contributor to the WAMES magazine, keen to share something helpful she had learnt with others. She died suddenly at home on 8th November and will be sorely missed by her husband, who also has ME, her adult children who live locally and many friends.
Sandra Ozolins 1966-2020
Sandra had severe ME for 20 years and associated chemical sensitivity for the last 10, which made it difficult for her to visit buildings to discuss her medical or social care needs. Even ambulances were a difficult environment for her and her health had been deteriorating for some time. She suffered a lot of misunderstanding and dismissal over the years from people whose job it was to help her. In spite of this she fought hard to explain severe ME to them. She contributed her experiences to the Hywel Dda ME stakeholder group, although it cost her a lot.
Her determination to improve care for people with ME went far beyond a desire to improve her own situation and she made sure that WAMES and a local disability access group were well informed, so we could share in her campaign. After the local hospital refused to make adjustments for her chemical intolerance so she could access care, her condition deteriorated further and she slipped away peacefully on 14th September.
Her death certificate gives her cause of death as ME, a fact that would have given her much satisfaction, after years of campaigning for recognition. She is survived by her husband in Carmarthenshire, and family in England.
