Dorothy Brown was an active housewife who enjoyed gardening, walking and caravanning until she was struck down by ME ten years ago.

The illness left her severely fatigued, affected her memory and speech and left her with food allergies, problems sleeping, sickness and diarrhoea, headaches and joint and muscle pain.

Eventually she was unable to walk and could only get out in a wheelchair.

Only in the last 18 months have some of her symptoms improved, thanks to treatment for a thyroid condition.

Mrs Brown, 52, who recently moved to Bierley from Pudsey, said the condition struck without warning.

She was diagnosed as suffering from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis by a consultant from St James's Hospital in Leeds who had to make a home visit because she was so ill.

The worst aspect was the chronic fatigue which made her mind and body completely unable to function properly. Her husband Chris, 53, had retired from work and had to carry out all the household tasks.

"My quality of life has improved to what it was - I just felt I was like a vegetable in a wheelchair," she said. "It started suddenly. There was no virus but just became so ill.

"I wasn't diagnosed for about a year by which time I'd just become worse and worse and had become totally bed and wheelchair-bound.

"My daughter got married and I couldn't go to her wedding which was awful, just unbelievable."

She had tried a variety of alternative remedies and two years ago she read about a fellow sufferer who had been helped by thyroid treatment.

She was now able to walk a little way but still needed the wheelchair if she was out and was also able to talk more easily although her memory and speech were still affected. She said there was a need for a specialist clinic for ME sufferers in the Bradford area.

About 150,000 people in the country are estimated to have the illness and experts now believe treatment in its earliest stages is vital for a long-term recovery.

"When I first became ill I got the feeling people didn't believe I was ill because ME was not well known," she said. "Nowadays if my husband says my wife's got ME everybody has heard of it.

"I do feel more optimistic. I am a born-again Christian and my faith has helped me a lot.

"The Bradford support group for ME has also been a great help and my husband has been absolutely tremendous."

For further information about the condition call the ME Association on 01375 642553 or Action for ME on 01749 670799. To contact the local support group ring via the Link Centre on (01274) 309909.

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