Former Doncaster Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin revealed she is now bed bound 22 hours a day after being diagnosed with a debilitating illness.

The sister of former Olympian sprinter Beth Dobbin says she is incredibly proud to have raised over £15,000 for ME Research UK.

Faye Dobbin, who hails from Sprotbrough, ran the York Marathon earlier this month, to raise awareness of ME or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - a condition which has cut short her sister's sporting career and left her bedbound for 22 hours a day.

placeholder image — The sister of former Olympian sprinter Beth Dobbin says she is incredibly proud to have raised over £15,000 for ME Research UK. | Faye Dobbin

Prior to becoming ill, Beth represented Great Britain at the Tokyo Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, she is the first and only female track & field Olympian from Doncaster and also holds the Scottish record for the women’s 200m.

Beth, who is the daughter of Doncaster Rovers footballer Jim Dobbin, was diagnosed with the ME in 2022 after back-to-back Covid and glandular fever infections.

Doncaster Olympian Beth Dobbin has recently opened up about her battle with ME. | Iconic

Faye explains: “When she first got unwell we didn’t really understand what it was, so Beth would push herself and do things so that would then lead to a massive crash later down the line.

“Before her illness, she was really active. She trained five times a week and now she’s bedbound for 22.5 hours a day.”

ME is a chronic, fluctuating disease, causing symptoms such as sleep issues, problems with thinking and memory, pain and severe, persistent fatigue that does not improve with rest, and more.

It has no known cure or specific treatment. More than 400,000 people in the UK are thought to have ME, although the true figure could exceed one million, with severity ranging from people able to work or study to those requiring round-the-clock care.

Faye adds that one of the most debilitating symptoms of her sister’s condition is post excursion malaise, which is essentially a dramatic increase in symptoms disproportionate to the activities before.

“Everything has a consequence for Beth,” Faye said.

“It’s very hard for her to see friends, go for a walk or even do any form of exercise.

“ME causes a lot of cognitive issues, so Beth’s particularly sensitive to light and noise. She struggles to watch TV and spends most of her time in bed and propped up.”

Faye Dobbin ran the York Marathon to raise awareness of ME after her sister was diagnosed with it four years ago. | Faye Dobbin

Faye ran the York Marathon in 3 hours and 52 minutes in an effort to raise awareness of her sister’s condition while also putting a spotlight on the lack of funding ME receives.

Between April 2019 and March 2024 the UK government invested around £6.5 million in research into ME. However, this is significantly lower than other conditions such as Parkinson’s which receives upwards of £79m and Dementia which has had £496.4m in the same period.

The figures for research into ME between 2019 and 2024. | Faye Dobbin

“As a family member you feel helpless,” Faye said.

“I just wanted to try and do something to help. I never thought I’d get that much, I was just kind of hoping to get a couple of grand.

She added: “There’s a disparity in research between ME and other illnesses. We as a family want to call on the government to address why it is so low. There’s not enough known or any cure.”

Anyone wishing to donate to Faye’s fundraiser can via her JustGiving page.