'Lots of prayer and I just knew I was healed'

A WOMAN who was barely able to get out of bed for seven years after being struck down by chronic fatigue has now got her life back after a "little miracle".

Mary Hart was a church minister when she suddenly found she did not have the energy to do the everyday things she had managed for years.

But after someone prayed for her at a retreat in October Ms Hart, of Yate, feels she has been healed of the ME that robbed her of almost eight years of her life.

At times she would stay in bed all day and suffered pains that meant even having a duvet resting on her arms hurt.

"I loved my work, did a lot of hours and put my heart and soul into it," Ms Hart said.

"I was working towards a sabbatical and was getting tired and thought my batteries were getting low but kept going and going but then I crashed and could not stop crying."

Her doctor initially suggested Ms Hart might be depressed but she knew that was not the case.

"I took some sick leave, took my sabbatical and then gradually returned to work," she said.

"But in 2003 I crashed again and could not physically get out of bed."

Ms Hart, now 60, took early retirement, hoping that after a couple of years off she might be able to return to work.

She was referred to a specialist who told her after 18 months that there was nothing more that could be done.

"I had always lived life to the full and suddenly I felt isolated, all I was doing was sleeping and eating," Ms Hart said.

She was then referred to Frenchay Hospital, where in the group sessions she was taught coping strategies for dealing with her chronic fatigue.

Ms Hart said that she has always been an optimistic person but suffered some very dark times.

"I just felt that every day was dark, and November to February was the worst. I would sleep, wake up and then sleep. It was life-robbing."

Ms Hart had resigned herself to always suffering with ME but in October her prayers were answered.

"There was another girl at the retreat who had had ME and she prayed for me. There was lots of prayer and I just knew I was healed," Ms Hart said.

"The following weekend I drove from Bristol to Birmingham, went to a conference, picked up my daughter. Being able to do all that was proof that something had definitely happened as I could never have considered driving in the evening before.

"I knew that after five years with ME there was less chance of a full recovery.

"I am very thankful that someone healed me."

And now she is looking to the future and working out what she will do in the coming years.

As a result of her experience at Frenchay Hospital, Ms Hart is training to be a tutor to help support other people with ME and advising them how they might cope.

She said: "Frenchay was so helpful. It was such a safe place to be with people that understood you."