FOUR years ago Lizzie Neal spent her days housebound and confined to a wheelchair.

She wasn't allowed to watch television, read, or use a computer.

She was only allowed to have one friend over at a time and then they could only stay for half-an-hour.

She was only allowed to listen to the radio or music for half-an-hour at a time, and then she had to have an hour's interval between the two.

But the ex-Wanstead High School pupil wasn't the member of some bizarre cult, or group that shunned modern life, she was an ME sufferer trying to get better and in two week's time 24-year-old Lizzie will running 5km for charity.

Struck down with the illness after a bout of glandular fever when she was sitting her A levels, Lizzie found herself utterly unable to do anything physical and had to watch as all her friends went off to university while she was confined to a wheelchair.

That was until a doctor sent her to a specialist who gave her a rather unusual prescription, almost complete mental rest.

Miss Neal, who lives in Charnwood Drive with her parents, said: "ME is biochemical imbalance in the brain and my specialist Dr David Smith set me on a recovery programme.

"Part of the programme is doing less than you can achieve."

So while Lizzie's friends were living it up at various universities she spent 18-months just with her thoughts.

She said: "I always hoped that I was going to get better but the level of boredom was incredible. All I had were my thoughts and they were monotonous."

But far from letting that defeat her, Lizzie carried on with the therapy for 18-months and now a 5 km run, which would have been impossible before, is well within her grasp. Her life has, quite literally, turned around.

She said: "I'm so excited by everything I'm doing. I spent the last summer in Chile doing conservation work and I'm in my second year at Sheffield University.

"It's given me an extra appreciation for life."

And to raise £300 for fellow sufferers and to let the world know there is life after ME Lizzie is taking part in the Hydroactive Women's Challenge on September 3.

To sponsor Lizzie log on to www.justgiving. com/lizzieneal.