Hi everyone, it’s Kara here. (With a little help from my team!) I hope you’re all as ok as can be. I’m pleased to say that I’m doing much better than I was a couple of weeks ago – though as you know, ‘much better’ in our world is still a state of many challenges. Your support has meant the world through these very tough weeks.
Today I want to tell you a bit about the wonderful man in the photo above: my producer, Liam Hicks. I’m delighted to say that he’s been nominated for a BBC Make a Difference award for his incredible sacrifice and dedication in working on my album, It’s Still M.E.
Liam worked around twelve hours a day for three months solid, in order to make my dream a reality. He was supported by a team of amazing musicians who also deserve all the thanks in the world. (See a full list of everyone involved here.) But it was Liam who pulled it all together and put his life on hold to bring my album to life, with no payment whatsoever. He is a true hero and I can never thank him enough for all he’s done, not only for me but for the entire ME community.
On Thursday, Radio Cornwall interviewed both Liam and me about how he has made my dream come true. You can listen below.
Those of us with ME are used to feeling forgotten by the outside world. It is basically unheard of for anyone not directly affected by the illness to become involved in the cause. Liam has no personal experience of ME, yet cared enough to devote three months of his life to producing my album. The fact that he and all the musicians took no payment whatsoever means that all profits from the album can go to helping establish vital post-mortem research into the severest cases of ME. (More information here.)
Thanks to the album reaching the official download charts and gaining much media attention, we have also generated a great deal of awareness of just how serious this illness can be.
Thank you can never be enough; but here’s hoping that Liam is one of the winners next week!
Download and stream It’s Still M.E here
Kara Jane 