Devon woman marching 100 miles to raise awareness of realities of migraine
Annemarie Wren, 58, who lives in Ashburton, Devon, is walking an epic 100 miles in March to raise money for The Migraine Trust, the UK’s leading migraine charity.
Annemarie lives with vestibular migraine and her 100-mile march equates to around 190,000 steps, representing the number of migraine attacks that take place in the UK every day.
Despite being a common condition (around 10 million people in the UK experience migraine attacks regularly), migraine continues to be poorly understood, with many that live with it facing stigma and the misconception of migraine being ‘just a headache’. In addition to severe head pain, symptoms can include nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, and visual disturbances.
Annemarie has lived with migraine since the age of seven, recently receiving a diagnosis of vestibular migraine, which includes a combination of vertigo, dizziness or balance problems with other migraine symptoms. She is taking on the March for Migraine challenge to raise not only vital funds for others with migraine, but also much-needed awareness.
Annemarie explained:
“Living with migraine is debilitating. Mine affect my whole body: I get physically sick, I get tooth ache, my sinuses play up, everything hurts – even things like lying down and having my glasses on my face are too painful. When I have a migraine attack, I feel like everything is moving and as though I am going to fall over. Then when coming out of one it can take two to three days to feel normal, it feels like pushing treacle up a hill.
It’s incredibly isolating. It stops me going out due to the fear of getting one and ending up stuck somewhere unable to drive home, in crippling pain. People just don’t understand what it’s like which makes it worse. Migraine stops you living your best life. I feel like I’ve had to give up so much, so many things I enjoy. I could scream when people say it’s just a headache. It isn’t.”
Not only is Annemarie taking on her challenge while living with migraine, but she has also been recovering from a recent surgery:
“After my surgery I had to be very careful what I did. No heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for several weeks. Walking was the best exercise for me. I've slowly built the steps up so I can take on the challenge in March.”
Annemarie has set a fundraising target of £100 for her March for Migraine challenge, to help the charity support more people with migraine.
Research by The Migraine Trust found almost a third (32%) of respondents said migraine negatively affected their mental health. Through its helpline, The Migraine Trust provides free, confidential information and support for everyone affected by migraine and answered over 4,000 calls last year.
Annemarie explains her motivation for raising money for the charity:
“The Migraine Trust has been so helpful. My neurologist mentioned them, and it’s been so useful. Especially being in a room full of people with migraine, you suddenly feel understood. We need to talk about what it means to live with migraine more.”
Thanking Annemarie for her generous support, Rob Music, Chief Executive of The Migraine Trust, said:
“We are so grateful to Annemarie for taking on the March for Migraine challenge to help people affected by migraine. Walking 100 miles in a month is no mean feat, particularly for someone living with vestibular migraine. She is a true inspiration, and her efforts will not only raise crucial awareness but also help support the 10 million people in the UK living with this complex and often overlooked neurological disorder. We wish Annemarie all the very best as she embarks on the challenge and thank her for stepping out this March to help people with migraine.”
If you would like to help people affected by migraine you can support Annemarie’s fundraising for The Migraine Trust athttps://themigrainetrust.enthuse.com/pf/annemarie-wren.
If you would like information about migraine and how The Migraine Trust can help you manage it, or how you can support the charity, go to https://migrainetrust.org.
