'I had to learn how to walk again - now I'm running a marathon'
A 28-year-old software engineer who had to learn to walk again after being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome is lacing up for her first marathon event. Kelsey Sheridan, from Middleton, Greater Manchester, is one of 36,000 participants taking part in the adidas Manchester Marathon 2025 on Sunday (April 27).
She will be joined by her assistance dog, Hamble, for around 10km of the race. Kelsey, who is aiming for a sub-five-hour finish time, chose to run the adidas Manchester Marathon to mark a significant milestone in her recovery journey.
"I first became unwell in the summer of 2016, during my first year of university. By the time I returned to my second-year studies after the holidays, I was in a wheelchair, as I'd been diagnosed with CFS/ME," she explained.
"Before diagnosis, I struggled with varying symptoms. When I was younger, I could never sleep enough or wake up for school. This continued until my 20s. I struggled with exhaustion but originally these symptoms were thought to be caused by depression."
Kelsey went on to graduate in 2018, but she was unable to work or leave the house without her assistance dog, Hamble.
According to the NHS, symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis, often known as chronic fatigue syndrome, include sleep problems, feeling extremely tired all the time, problems with thinking, concentration and memory, and symptoms getting worse after physical or mental activity.
The cause is unknown, and there is currently no cure. However, treatments may help manage the condition and relieve symptoms. There's no specific test for chronic fatigue syndrome, meaning it's diagnosed based on symptoms and by ruling out other conditions.
Kelsey said: "When Hamble and I were first partnered by charity Canine Partners in 2019, I was a full-time wheelchair user who was mainly housebound. I was constantly overdoing it just to survive and was unable to recover and increase my capabilities safely.
"Hamble is trained to support those with mobility issues and for me this was taking shoes, socks and clothing off. Fetching items, emptying the washing machine, passing me anything I ask for and fetching items like shoes or the TV remote.
"With Hamble's help, I was able to slowly rebuild my strength and mobility. It was a tough period to say the least, but I'm so grateful to say that in November 2023, I was finally able to put down my crutches and walk freely again."
In June 2024, Kelsey went for her first run since losing her mobility, and she soon set her sights on her next challenge. "I chose to run the adidas Manchester Marathon to mark a significant milestone in my recovery journey. Having full mobility is something I really took for granted before I lost my ability to walk, and it's something that I make a conscious effort to celebrate – even on the bad days," the 28-year-old explained.
She's also set her sights on a time goal. "The adidas Manchester Marathon is my local event, in the city where I lost and ultimately regained my mobility. It's my first marathon, so I'd absolutely love to achieve a sub-five-hour finish time if possible."
Kelsey was keen to acknowledge that chronic fatigue syndrome is not the same for everyone. "The truth is, medications and slow rehab may work for some, but not others," she said.
"My advice to anyone who's lost their mobility due to health reasons would be to just keep going and think positively but allow yourself the bad days. We never know what the future might bring, so focus on the present and enjoy every moment!"
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'At best this will leave hospital managers and senior doctors confused over what they should be planning for this week, resulting in last-minute cancellations, and at worst puts patients at risk in both emergency and planned care settings. 'Senior doctors cannot simultaneously cover for striking resident doctors in emergency departments, while also continuing routine work, and NHS England is being irresponsible by suggesting they can do both. 'The priority on strike days must be emergency and urgent care.' Strikes by resident doctors last June led to 61,989 inpatient and outpatient appointments being rescheduled. Since the end of 2022, almost 1.5 million appointments have been rescheduled as a result of industrial action. The BMA said on Tuesday that talks with the Government aimed at averting the strike had collapsed over the core issue of pay. Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, co-chairs of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said in a statement: 'We have always said that no doctor wants to strike and all it would take to avoid it is a credible path to pay restoration offered by the Government. 'We came to talks in good faith, keen to explore real solutions to the problems facing resident doctors today. 'Unfortunately, we did not receive an offer that would meet the scale of those challenges. 'While we were happy to discuss non-pay issues that affect doctors' finances we have always been upfront that this is at its core a pay dispute.' Health Secretary Wes Streeting said 'we cannot move on pay after a 28.9% pay rise' but added that the Government was looking at ways to improve resident doctors' working lives. He said there was an opportunity for the union 'to work with us on a range of options that would have made a real difference to resident doctors' working conditions and created extra roles to deal with the bottlenecks that hold back their career progression. 'Instead, they have recklessly and needlessly opted for strike action.' He added: 'All of my attention will be now on averting harm to patients and supporting NHS staff at work. 'After a 28.9% pay hike in the last three years and the highest pay rise in the public sector two years in a row, strike action is completely unjustified, completely unprecedented in the history of British trade unionism and shows a complete disdain for patients and the wider recovery of the NHS.' It came after research suggested public support for the strike is waning. A YouGov poll showed about half (52%) of people in the UK 'somewhat oppose' (20%) or 'strongly oppose' (32%) resident doctors going on strike over pay. A third (34%) of the 4,954 adults surveyed either 'somewhat support' (23%) or 'strongly support' (11%) doctor strikes. YouGov said the proportion supporting the strike over pay has dropped five points since it last asked the question in May, when 48% opposed the strikes and 39% supported them. Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the decision for strikes to go ahead 'is a crushing blow for patients and for the NHS'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP.
