Hunting for Hope: Jo Greer

Jo Greer’s daughter had lived an active life, pursuing her passions with enthusiasm and dedication. But in 2021 her world was upended when she became severely ill with COVID Pneumonia. Jo and her family now provide full-time care for her daughter who is bedridden with very severe ME, a responsibility that has driven Jo and her husband, Nick, to seek out treatment options, support, and care, as well as to advocate for improved recognition, understanding and research into ME.

The Red Leaf Project: Hope Through Art, Community and Science

In searching for hope, Jo returned to a therapeutic book she once used in her work as a psychologist: The Red Tree by Shaun Tan. Seeing it now through a different lens, through the collective pain, perseverance and isolation of the ME community, sparked an idea.

“It was really through this experience that that book came to mind,” she says. “We needed real hope, not false hope. And for people with ME, hope is in science and research.”

Jo began writing to leading ME researchers, asking for a simple gift: a message of hope for patients struggling through the holidays. The response was overwhelming. Researchers around the world replied, among them Professor Chris Ponting from the University of Edinburgh. His words stayed with her:

“Science will light the path that will lead to effective treatment.”

This phrase planted the seed for what became the Red Leaf Creative Collaborative: a growing, international community of artists, patients, carers and allies contributing artwork, storytelling and fundraising efforts to support Professor Ponting’s pioneering research.

“Our ‘One Red Leaf at a Time’ art project is now receiving global attention which is so encouraging for us.” Jo explains. “The artwork is really beautiful. And the whole thing is about raising awareness, because people only become aware of this when it touches them personally.”

The project has already reached far beyond Jo’s expectations. A donated tree at Chester Cathedral, decorated last-minute by volunteers, has become an unexpected catalyst for conversations, connection and awareness. Visitors have been taking away information cards featuring art and QR codes linking directly to fundraising pages for the University of Edinburgh’s ME research.

“It’s the ripple,” Jo says. “You do your bit with what you can, what you’ve got, and hope that other people will catch that ripple and do their bit.”

Why Fundraising Matters

The Greer family has funded printing and materials themselves. “We don’t receive any funding from anywhere,” Jo says. “We’ve paid printing costs ourselves to get the word out and hopefully generate some support.” But the project, like the community it represents, can only grow with help. “We need people outside the ME community to just catch a glimpse,” Jo says. “Not to be overwhelmed, but to be moved enough to act and help support further research”

Above all, she wants people to understand that this could happen to any family. “If it can happen to my daughter, it can happen to somebody else’s,” she says. “And I refuse to accept it can’t be better than this.”

Supporting the Red Leaf Collaborative and donating to the University of Edinburgh’s research is, she says, more than an act of generosity, it is an act of solidarity. “The only hope is in science and research. That’s why the research that Chris Ponting and his team are conducting at Edinburgh is so very important for the whole community.”

A Small Project Making a Big Difference

The messages Jo receives from patients keep her going. Last year, one came from an individual who said they were “on the verge of giving up hope” until they read the scientists’ messages. “Pulling things together in that way, the idea of hunting for red leaves, looking for hope, seems to me to be a worthwhile endeavour,” Jo says. “In some ways it’s therapeutic in itself. It’s the feeling that you’re actually doing something.”

A small ripple, perhaps. But one that is touching lives, raising awareness, and directly supporting world-leading research.

“We’re hunting for hope”

Jo recently discovered a concept in Japanese culture—momijigari, or “red leaf hunting.” It describes the tradition of seeking out the beauty of red leaves in autumn. “That’s kind of what we’re doing,” she says. “We’re hunting for hope.” And through art, community, storytelling, and fundraising for ground breaking research, Jo is creating hope, not just for her own daughter, but for thousands of families living with ME.

How you can support

Support research at the University of Edinburgh

Donate to ME Research

Help fund groundbreaking research at the University of Edinburgh by supporting One Red Leaf at a Time.

Donate here:

🔗 https://www.justgiving.com/page/one-red-leaf-at-a-time  

 Order / Bulk-Order “One Red Leaf at a Time” Greeting Cards which are kindly organised by Dr Clare Rayner

Buy Hope-Inspired Greeting Cards

Purchase our One Red Leaf at a Time greetings cards — all proceeds support vital ME research. Bulk orders are warmly welcomed, especially from friends of the university, third-spaces, workplaces, cafés, galleries, and community groups.

View the cards:

🔗 https://www.instagram.com/p/DRIOzAejJUp  

Subscribe for free to The Red Tree and ME Substack for more information about the project https://theredtreeandme.substack.com/