But extreme fatigue is a daily part of Julie Clark's life.

She has suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and the neurological movement disorder dystonia.

She also needs a two-hour nap every afternoon.


EMMA GREENHALGH found out more.

JULIE Clark was 21 when a debilitating illness knocked her for six.

She was transformed from a fit and well young woman to someone who was battling a life changing illness.

"It was like World War Three in my head and I never want to feel that pain again," said Julie.

She remembers it well. She was training at a nursing school in Huddersfield when she suddenly found herself fighting symptoms which were just like flu.

Aching muscles, nausea and the most awful headache. They all struck her at the same time.

"It came as a huge blow but, at the time, I thought I would be back on my feet within a couple of weeks," she said.

Trouble was she wasn't going to get better within a fortnight. The virus left her bedridden and she reminisced: "I was pretty out of it."

Nurses at the school managed to get her to hospital where she remained for the next six weeks.

The former Brinkburn Comprehensive student was then confined to a wheelchair.

Even then though she never believed it was the beginning of a lifelong condition.

She said: "Those thoughts kept me going. Yes, there has been dark times but at the end of the day if I never thought I would be back nursing I would not be here to tell the tale."

Eventually Julie, who lives in the Dyke House area of town, was told she had ME and dystonia.

It affects the joints and makes muscles painful.
She could not finish her course and returned to Hartlepool to be close to family and friends.

Her mother Beryl, 64, and father Edwin, 69, have been a great support along with her sister, Allison Godfrey, 42.

A former relationship took her down to Dorset for 10 years, where she volunteered at a local primary school. But in 2005 she returned to North East England and despite only being able to walk with crutches she packs her days with activities to expand her mind and help the community.

She works as an administrator for a few hours a week on a scheme within Hartlepool Families First and also volunteers for the Hartlepool Special Needs support group in Park Road.

She's one determined woman.

Julie, now 40, took the crown of NCFE Student of the Year last November.

It was awarded after she completed a course called Developing Skills Working with Children and Young People, with the Adult Education Development Centre at Golden Flatts.

She said: "This course was one of the most interesting and thought-provoking courses I have been on and the whole group really gelled and supported each other as a team.

"Winning the award was such a great achievement and confidence boost, and was the best news I have had in a long time."

Just look at this list of achievements:

lShe embarked on courses in administration and business studies; She has studied sign language and Spanish;She has a diploma in text and word processing;She has also completed a course in photography; And to top it all, she water skis.

Julie joined the British Disabled Water Ski Association. She learned to water-ski using a Kan-ski, (a bar which allows her to ski with the help of an instructor who would haul her out of the water.)

Now she is able to ski alone and says it is "both exhilarating and exhausting.

"It was great fun but sometimes the pain I felt afterwards I often wondered whether it was worthwhile. I came to the conclusion that it was very worthwhile, as I would rather feel pain from doing something I enjoy."

There's an extra bonus. The exercise means her muscles are growing stronger and her co-ordination is getting better.

After skiing Julie is often unable to walk for an hour until the sensation returns to her muscles.

But that's not a problem for her. "Water-skiing is one of my favourite hobbies especially as on the water nobody can see my disability," she said.

She doubts her condition will improve.

But as long as she does not overdo it and sticks to a daily routine of afternoon naps she can maintain a good lifestyle.

And as she said herself: "I will try anything once. I think that life is too