#SockItToME 2016

Pooraka Primary Students Crazy Sock/Pyjama Day

A big thank you to Principal Ms Jo Everett, Year 6-7 teacher Ms Anne Peters, counsellor Ms Deb Foreman and Pooraka Primary students for Friday’s fantastic effort in holding a Crazy Sock/Pyjama Day to say #SockItToME and raise awareness and funds for ME/CFS.

Don’t they look great! Students talked about ME/CFS at their assembly, and as a back drop, they showed buildings from around the globe that were lit up in blue on International Awareness Day, May 12th.

The local newspaper, Northern Messenger, came along, took photos and wrote the following article.

Putting Best Foot Forward For Charity

By Isabella Fowler in the Northern Messenger, 20 July 2016.

Pooraka Primary students had no excuse to be late to school last Friday [8 July 2016], as they headed to class in pyjamas and crazy socks to “sock it to” a nasty illness. Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome is considered one of the most “misunderstood invisible diseases” according to ME/CFS Australia committee member Penelope McMillan.

“A lot of people seem to think it’s an old lady illness, but it’s actually very destructive for young people and they can end up missing years of school. The name makes people think it’s just a handful of people who are tired, when 25 per cent of sufferers are actually housebound and can barely move,” she says.

Pooraka Primary was the only school in SA to respond to requests for fundraising, which will go towards research and treatment trials. Teacher Deb Foreman says the school put their own twist on the fundraiser. “The kids voted to wear pyjamas as well as bright socks – which is part of the charity’s ‘Sock it to ME’ campaign,” Ms Foreman says.

Background to #SockItToME

Dr Lucinda Bateman and her team at the Bateman Horne Center in the USA, have worked tirelessly to help those with ME/CFS.

Dr Bateman started the idea of #SockItToME in January 2016.

ME/CFS SA felt that crazy socks would be an appealing way to raise awareness of ME/CFS amongst children and their families, by inviting local primary schools to participate in #SockItToME.