Mike was working full-time alongside NHS mental health teams, when his first signs of illness began to show. He was living an active life - walking in the hills, fishing, tending his garden - but was rushed to hospital several times with suspected heart attacks and strokes. Yet doctors could never find anything wrong. From there, more symptoms developed, leaving Mike searching for answers.

"It just got worse and worse and worse, where I was really struggling to stay awake," Mike remembers. He tried to push through, but the exhaustion was overwhelming.

In 2023, Mike finally got an answer: chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME. It was quickly followed by more diagnoses - fibromyalgia, psoriatic arthritis, heart valve regurgitation. "I call it a shopping list," Mike says, "because it's massive, and seems to be growing."

For the first few months, Mike battled against the diagnosis. "I thought, no, it's just because I've put weight on. I'm just tired." He tried volunteering, online courses, anything to prove he could push through. "I just couldn't do anything. I was so, so tired."

Living in rural Cheshire, Mike found himself isolated and struggling. His family were out working all day. The hobbies he loved had stopped. And despite searching everywhere for support, he found nothing. "We live out in a village, so there's nothing to do around here, and it's really quiet, the family are out all day long working, so you're literally on your own quite a bit, and quite isolated”.

What hit hardest wasn't just the physical symptoms - it was the mental and emotional toll. "I was thinking, what now? Where do I go from here? When will I go back to work? Will I be able to work anymore?"

Mike had gone from helping others as a social prescriber to feeling completely stuck himself. "I'd dug myself into a little bit of a hole," he says, "and I couldn't really see out of it."

‘I was looking for someone like me’

By the time he became unwell, Mike had known about Breathworks for years through his keen interest in mindfulness and meditation. He'd even referred people to Breathworks during his time as a social prescriber during lockdown. 

Although it had been on his shelf for years, it was only when living with chronic pain and fatigue himself, that Vidyamala Burch's book ‘Mindfulness for Health’ really spoke to him.

When he returned to Vidyamala's book and watched videos about Breathworks, something clicked. Learning about Vidyamala’s story of overcoming pain following severe spinal injuries, Mike thought “do you know what? I've been through some of this. I'm going through some of this pain, I'm going through some of this anguish. I'm thinking, that's me.”

Vidyamala’s story offered Mike hope. 

He shares that when he discovered Breathworks’ 8-week Mindfulness for Health course, what set it apart in his eyes was that “you can tell it's somebody that's got lived experience…that's put the course together.”

Mike was initially a bit apprehensive about joining an online course. "I wasn't sure if it was going to be 30, 40 people”, but when he joined, he found a small group of seven or eight people - and crucially, his instructor Fidelma had also lived with chronic pain. "Straight away, your guard comes down thinking 'this is great, I'm in the right place'."

The group became a source of connection and inspiration:

We were all in the same boat. We'd all got something that we could relate to… so we had chats where people had said, 'oh, I've had a bad morning today, but I managed to do this' - it inspires you to try things yourself.

Using pacing to return to life

One of Mike's biggest breakthroughs came around ‘pacing’ - a technique for managing energy levels. Through the content of his Mindfulness for Health course, and with support from his instructor, Mike was able to find a practical approach to pacing that worked for him.

For Mike, it was helpful to focus on an activity he enjoyed, like walking the dog or painting, and gradually build up the time that he spent doing it. He shared, “For instance, my painting, it might be drawing one day for 20 minutes, and then I'll sketch it out another day for half an hour. I can relate to that.”

This gradual rebuilding, using the pacing tools he had learnt, even led to Mike being able to attend a Bruce Springsteen concert with his wife and son. "I slept for two days before, because I was driving there. Then I planned nothing for the week afterwards…" and it was worth it.

I absolutely loved that concert, but it was such a good memory as well… it's kept me going for a long time… Just go for it. You've got to live your life.

How bursary funding made it possible

But Mike nearly didn't take the course at all. When he first looked at the Breathworks website, the course seemed like exactly what he needed but, unable to work due to his illness, he couldn't afford it.

Mike describes his situation at that time as desperate. He'd been reaching out everywhere for help but with no luck. Several charities which offered the support he needed did not offer services in his area and, stuck on an 18-month NHS waiting list for tinnitus support, he reached out to Breathworks to ask for help. Seeking support “felt cheeky” Mike shared, “but I thought… my back’s against the wall, I need some help.”

What Mike didn’t yet know was that our bursary scheme exists for this very reason - to support those who need support with their health but cannot afford a course. 

The bursary didn't just give Mike access to an 8-week course - it opened a door to ongoing support. "What I like now is that you do your weekly sessions, which I didn't know about before. You've got [The Community of Practice] - there's things on there I can still use afterwards, so it's not just a course where you do your 8 weeks, and that's it, goodbye. You keep it going."

The course has sparked something else in Mike: the desire to pay it forward. "I'd love to be one of your teachers, because I've bought into it now. And I can see the difference that you guys make."

I'd like to be able to say thanks for the bursary, to whoever donated - keep donating, because people like me can benefit from it. And I think it has made a big difference in my life… I want to do more with Breathworks, I want to learn more. I just wish I'd known more about it before.

From feeling hopeless and stuck, to painting, creating memories at concerts, and aspiring to teach others - Mike's transformation shows what's possible when barriers to support are removed.

That’s why bursaries, funded by our generous donors, exist - so no one has to feel they’re asking for too much just to get the support they need.

If you’d love to join a course but worry about the cost, please don’t rule yourself out. Click here to learn more – there’s no harm in applying, and we promise we don’t think it’s cheeky to ask!

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