Former Team GB sprinter Beth Dobbin has revealed that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, has left her confined to bed for more than 22 hours a day. The 32-year-old, who broke a 34-year-old Scottish record in 2018, appeared live on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (November 4) to discuss her condition.
Career and diagnosis
Dobbin reached the semi-finals of the women's 200 metres event, secured a bronze medal at the 2018 Athletics World Cup, and won a 4x400 metre bronze representing Scotland at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. Last month, she publicly disclosed her ME diagnosis.
The post-viral illness developed after she contracted COVID-19 and glandular fever. Speaking to hosts Susanna Reid and Ed Balls, Dobbin said: "Yeah, it's a big difference to what I was used to, really. There's so many symptoms I can't even list and doing things exacerbates those symptoms, so I have to be so careful."
Decline after Commonwealth Games
Dobbin explained that her symptoms began in 2022 after she got COVID and, a couple of months later, glandular fever. She noticed increasing tiredness, though it was initially minor. She continued competing at World, European and Commonwealth Championships, but noticed a sharp deterioration after the Commonwealths.
"My life's been pretty much destroyed ever since," she shared. During the interview, Ed Balls referenced his wife Yvette Cooper's own struggle with ME many years prior, noting she spent a whole year bedbound in her early twenties. Dobbin responded: "I wish it was all in the mind, because I think I would be better from it by now. It takes sometimes years to get a diagnosis... This is a very physical illness. Like I said, I wish it was in the mind."
Appeal for government funding
Dobbin has penned an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham, urging a significant boost in government funding for ME research and NHS treatment, but has yet to receive a response. She said: "We've not heard anything from Downing Street, unfortunately. And I do feel bad for doing all this, because I know Andy is obviously likeable, he's down to earth, so I think everyone's wanting a piece of him almost."
She added: "The thing with my issue is, like I said, it impacts so many, and it's been neglected like nothing else... You go to the GP and you're sent on your way. There are specialist clinics but they don't have any doctor [for] a health issue that's this debilitating, by the way. It's not like you've got a sniffle, it's life decimating. I'm in bed 22 hours a day. I've left the hours five times this year, so there should be more out there."
Ed Balls concluded by offering his support, stating: "My prediction - in fact, my conviction - is that Downing Street will be in touch with you, and they'll want to listen to you. They want to celebrate Olympians when they are winning medals, but also when they are making very, very important cases for action. So, I'm sure they'll be in touch."
