Karen Hargrave had to sell her flat and borrow thousands of pounds from family to help pay for her husband’s rising care costs – with the couple spending around £65,000 so far.
The 36-year-old from Cobham has been happily married to James for almost seven years. However, things took a turn after the couple both developed long Covid in 2022.
Although Karen recovered, James’ condition worsened. By 2023 he was completely bed bound and had also developed very severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME).
ME is a long-term condition that can affect different parts of the body, with symptoms including extreme tiredness, sleep problems, problems with concentration and symptoms getting worse after physical and mental activity.
Karen said: “James was on a liquid diet because he didn’t have the energy to chew and swallow and he couldn’t have a conversation. He also experienced very severe sensory sensitivity issues and went from being very healthy to very disabled in a short space of time.”
