Beth Dobbin, a former Olympic sprinter who represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is now largely bedbound after being diagnosed with ME, or myalgic encephalomyelitis. Five years on from her Olympic appearance, the 32-year-old spends over 22 hours a day in bed.
Dobbin's health deteriorated following back-to-back Covid and glandular fever infections in the winter of 2021-22. She continued to compete, qualifying for the World Championships, Commonwealth Games, and European Championships, despite experiencing worsening symptoms such as dizziness and loss of feeling in her legs.
Diagnosed with ME, a chronic, fluctuating disease, Dobbin experiences severe, persistent fatigue, sleep problems, pain, and issues with thinking and memory. She states that even small activities, such as attending a blood test or a 30-minute interview, could lead to a significant deterioration in her health. This year, she has left her house on only five occasions.
ME has no known cure or specific treatment, with patients often relying on off-label medication to manage over 200 potential symptoms. Dobbin's family highlights the lack of specialist NHS services for ME, with her father Jim expressing a desperate desire to help but feeling unable to due to the absence of effective treatments.
In an effort to raise awareness and funds, Dobbin's younger sister, Faye, will run the Yorkshire Marathon for ME Research UK on Sunday.