"I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) in June 1998. At the time I was at university, plus working morning and night teaching aerobics, and training for competition aerobics every day. As well, I had an active social life. With glandular fever five years before, I was probably overdoing it.

I was finally diagnosed with CFS after seven months of severe weight loss and fatigue, and various other debilitating symptoms including headaches, blurred vision, memory loss, inability to sleep, and chronic bowel and stomach irritations. This diagnosis came from a wonderful doctor who I still see regularly today. He was the only doctor not to diagnose me with an eating disorder or a mental illness!

My weight plummeted from an athletic 58kg to a frightening 32kg in the space of about 9 months. It seemed the more food I ate the more weight I lost. Taking a gamble, my doctor sent me off to the food allergy clinic at RPA in Sydney, and we found what was to be the turning point in my battle with CFS. I was extremely sensitive to chemicals both natural and artificial in foods and perfumed products.

I was put on an extremely restricted diet of boiled white rice and white fish and within days many of my symptoms had begun to disappear. I no longer suffered from stomach pains and wind, and my mouth ulcers were reduced in number. For someone who loves cooking and food this was very difficult to come to terms with but since I was facing death if I kept going as I was, I was willing to give anything a go and stick to it rigidly. The side effects of not being disciplined were too great and the consequences too risky.

So I followed the chemical free diet and within one month I had started to regain weight. It took about four months before I could start introducing the most basic of items such as green beans or potato and it didn’t take much to tip me over the edge, but using the time I had (lots of it) I became very creative in the kitchen.

Within six months we could all see that this diet and way of life was the way in which I would fully recover. It has taken me until only a few months ago really to be able to go out to a restaurant, for example, and eat a meal but even so the choices are limited. To others I know my diet is still so restricting, but to me I am now in foodie heaven enjoying the odd mango along with limited dairy products and while I used to hate frozen peas I just can’t get enough of them now. Gluten for me is still definitely a no go zone, but everything else I can cope with most of the time in moderation. Hey, I even enjoyed frozen Christmas pudding this year and felt great the next day.

I cannot say how much this chemical free diet has helped me. I am now fully recovered from CFS after a very long four years and am back to a healthy weight. I am married and have started my own business called Floradiction - a wedding and event floral and candle design business. I will always be restricted in what I eat but the positives far outweigh the negative effects that occur should I stray too far from the ‘rules’. Moderation is now the key. I know what works for me and that is important. My FAILSAFE recipe book is huge and I love adapting ‘normal’ recipes to suit my needs. I haven’t had any complaints from my husband Glen yet so things are looking good. Funnily enough when he has a meal that is out of the ordinary from what we eat at home he always feels worse for it.

I have experienced so much with my illness, but I am actually glad it happened to me. So many good things have come into my life because of CFS – my close relationships are even closer and I have a greater appreciation for the simple things in life and what it means to be able to get out of bed in the morning. I can now use my experiences to help others who have CFS and help to promote a very misunderstood and still poorly accepted illness. Raising the awareness of Australians of the serious effects that food chemicals, both natural and artificial, can have on the health of some individuals is also an issue close to my heart.

All the candles that I sell and decorate through my business are unscented. The reason for this? People like me can’t tolerate the perfumes and it is important that there are products available for others like myself." - Emma Pilcher

Emma is now a phone contact for us, see website contact list. Emma's candles make great gifts for failsafers. More details at www.floradiction.com.au