Many of you will know, in November 2016 it was confirmed that I have some form of neuromuscular disease by the fantastic team at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (NHNN) and would be embarking on a long process…
On Tuesday 4th April, my hospice nurse Nicky and I sat down and talked the nitty gritty. We talked about how I am, what I've been up to, what's troubling me - the same as always. Then the conversation got…
According to Rare Disease UK, rare diseases affect 1 in 17 of us at some point in our lifetime, which translates to 7% of the population being affected by a rare disease during their life. This equates to 3.5 million…
Customary to me, this blog reflects on what has been a very mixed year. Incredible highs, the highest of highs, and yet deep, dark, terrible lows. How can a year be so bipolar? So good, yet so bad, all at…
Six months ago today I went to Buckingham Palace to receive my MBE from His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales. Six months since I became a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at the age…
Today I had a very successful hospital appointment at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery with the neuromuscular team, seeing Dr Ros Quinlivan. The outcomes of the appointment could be crucial for myself and my family, and turn everything…
The #ANurse4TheJs fundraising page is located here: https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/anurse4thejsHere is our campaign video: The J’s Hospice have been supporting me since April 2011, and within the first fortnight my hospice nurse saved my life. Since then they have supported us in a…
On Thursday 13th October I attended the Be A Force For Change - National Advocacy Conference 2016 run by Kate Mercer Training. I delivered the first keynote speech on my experiences with advocacy, titled “Be Your Client’s Hero”. It was…
Most people have heard of feeding tubes, seeing kids with cancer and other illnesses with a NasoGastric Tube taped to their face. People know it’s possible to be fed through a tube in your nose down into your stomach. However,…
Let’s face it, we live our lives online nowadays. We post, tweet, upload photos and videos and update our status whenever we see fit, detailing our lives for our friends and followers to see. We post about what we do,…