Migraine Awareness Week 2024
Anyone who suffers with migraines – or knows anyone who does – will know how much of a pain they can be. From an inconvenience to downright debilitating, there’s a range of symptoms that sufferers can go through when they strike. For many, the reasons behind them happening are unknown and they can be hard to predict, prevent and treat. Migraine Awareness week seeks to highlight the plight of those who suffer (which is as many as one in seven of us) and also dispel the myth that they are ‘just a headache’. Migraine Awareness week 2024 takes place on the 23-29th September this year and is an initiative from The Migraine Trust. If you or someone else you know suffers with migraines, you can fundraise by starting a GoFundMe for the Migraine Trust today.
What is Migraine Awareness Week?
Migraine Awareness Week seeks to highlight what migraines are and why they can be so debilitating. There’s often a myth that migraines are just headaches, which isn’t the case. Sufferers can go through a range of symptoms that can really affect day to day life. Migraine Awareness Week first took place in 2021 with the theme of Dismissed for Too Long, where The Migraine Trust revealed a report looking at the struggles of those who suffer with migraines. You can read more about Migraine Awareness Week here, but The Migraine Trust believes no one should suffer alone.
Why your support is needed
One in seven people in the UK suffer with migraines. Whether experiencing them chronically or more sporadically, migraines are debilitating: sufferers can temporarily lose their vision, speech, ability to move, feel or be sick and have a sensitivity to light. It can mean that day to day life is disrupted and result in mental health problems.
A report released by The Migraine Trust last year revealed that support for sufferers across the UK is patchy and wait times for help with migraines is increasing. This is why events like Migraine Awareness week are important – it helps to increase awareness on what is happening. According to the report, 72% of children with migraines feel worried about having them and 33% of people with migraines have had to leave their job all together because of them.
How to show your support during Migraine Awareness Week
So, if you have migraines, know someone who does or have just been touched by the plight of sufferers, there’s a variety of ways you can show your support during Migraine Awareness week. Take a look at our page on medical fundraising to start a GoFundMe or get inspiration from others fundraising for similar.
Fundraising
A straightforward way to support during Migraine Awareness Week is fundraising and you’re in the right place to do it. It’s easy to start a GoFundMe for a migraine charity or even for yourself or someone you know who suffers from migraines. Fundraising during an awareness week is a great time to do it – harness the power of people talking about the week to maximise your own fundraising potential. Starting a GoFundMe is free – you can get going by creating a fundraiser.
Volunteering
Another way to show your support for a charity like the Migraine Trust is to volunteer! An easy way to get started it to take a look at the Migraine Trust website here for opportunities and then contact them to see how you can work best together.
Awareness and advocacy
A brilliant way to throw your support behind migraine sufferers is through awareness and advocacy, something which you can integrate easily in your day to day life. If you’re a migraine sufferer, the Migraine Trust encourages you to share your story – it can help others understand what you’re going through and give them a better understanding.
If you know someone who suffers from migraines or feel passionately about the cause, spread information where you can! It’s important that the myths around migraines just being bad headaches are dispelled. Doing this is a great way to show up for people who suffer with migraines.
Join a community of fundraisers
GoFundMe is a fast, easy and safe way to raise money and awareness for charities like the Migraine Trust. You can join in the community of fundraisers raising money for medical charities. Think about your fundraising story, tell your kind donors why this is a cause close to your heart and get going. As an example, Chiara raised more than £2k climbing the Three Peaks for the Migraine Trust with two fellow sufferers to raise awareness. Not only is the fundraising brilliant, but sharing her story too.
Start your fundraiser for Migraine Awareness Week
So, it couldn’t be easier to start raising money for migraine sufferers prior to Migraine Awareness week. Have a think about how you’d like to fundraise and get going. Take a look at our blog on how GoFundMe works and you’re off! Remember: when you’ve started your GoFundMe, keep your supporters updated each step of the way and good luck!