Chronic Fatigue

I’ve realized that I’ve been pretending for a long time now. I pretend to myself that the amount of energy and ability I have doesn’t bother me anywhere near as much as it does. That I’m not desperate to be able to do more. Before the crash, I was highly active. I used to walk, …

Recap

In 2014, I was hit by a car travelling 101mph whilst standing in a bus stop in Birmingham. I woke from a month-long coma to learn that I hadn't been alone and that I would need a wheelchair for life. My oldest friend Rebecca had been killed at the scene. I had completed my degree …

Bipolar

After a manic/psychotic episode earlier this year, I fell into a deep depression which I have since found out is a Bipolar depression. When I first found this out I couldn’t accept it. I thought Bipolar and other serious mental health issues were generally inherited. Plus this is what the book I’m reading on Bipolar …

Arguing

Lately, I’ve been going through the motions quite a bit. I’ve been in psychosis for a month 😴 I think (or perhaps my whole life). This isn’t as scary as the word ‘psycho’ implies. Research the condition if you don’t believe me. Lately, I’ve been in and out of A&E, with people continuing to accuse …

Disappointed

Last night, I had to re-live my worst nightmare for the umpteenth time. I thought once was enough? 😢 In the original RTC, all of the staff at City hospital refused to treat the guy who hit us. Which is what happened last night; the people in A&E (at the QE) refused to treat me …

Test Run

I’ve always found celebratory occasions that focus on me stressful and hard to bear. I mean, I used to cry every single time it was my birthday (and still don’t handle them so well). I struggle with lots of attention/focus on me. Even after all the hullabaloo from the accident. And boy, I’ve had my …

Suicide Awareness

Yesterday, I found out my friend from wheelchair tennis killed herself last year. Michelle - I’m so sorry you found it so hard for so long. Following the motorbike accident years ago, where a car hit you at only 30 miles an hour and left you paralysed, it was a trouble that was too hard …

Talk

If you can, try to speak to someone about what’s happening inside your head. Whenever I’ve tried to keep my worries inside, they’ve ended up either exploding out of me or forced me into a foul mood when I’ve tried to bury them instead. If you can’t make sense of what you’re thinking/feeling, try to …

Performing Sign Language to ‘One Of Dem Moods.’

For those who aren’t aware, my younger sister Katy was born profoundly deaf (hence the interest in BSL). From using sign language with my family at festivals when it’s too loud to hear each other, to other noisy/hard-to-hear situations, I love being able to communicate with them via sign. After meeting Katy, Joe took it …

An important message in BSL

Joe’s been teaching Scouts British Sign Language via a video chat online. With one very important message: ‘Remember to STAY AT HOME’ 🏡🥰

C’mon guys 💪

To those of you who have very little to do, who aren’t working from home: A plan to break up your day, every day, is vital. I’ve learnt a thing or two in the past few years (of not being able to mobilise properly) that are thankfully coming in handy now. I’ve also learnt a …

Update

Hi guys, I figured I should do an update to keep anyone who wants to be kept in the loop, in the loop ⭕️ Life's coming together pretty nicely in all honestly. Putting your head down and quietly working on some of your goals is so rewarding when everything starts adding up. All the positive …

Retraining your body

Relearning how to walk took a lot longer than I expected. And even then I’ve had to relearn how to walk several more times due to surgery or various problems. This video was taken 4 months post crash. I had lost 2 and a half stone from involuntarily throwing up multiple times a day for …

How’s it going?

Take time to reflect on how your life is going and what small changes you could make to improve your day. Each day is made up of moments, and many people miss little tricks that could largely improve their day. This is especially important if you work a 9-5/have lots of commitments that take up …

Resting

I gave myself 6 months off once I got out of hospital in February. This was unintentional and happened as a result of my circumstances. My foot had begun getting repeat infections again, so I took myself off my feet and began to use my wheelchair independently around my local area. At first this was …

Befuddled

My head's a little confused atm. I've had a mixture of 'I don't know how you've recovered so well' and also 'I definitely couldn't do it if I were in your shoes.' I understand that these are just expressions of awe and praise, but there seems to be something missing. I think it's to do …

Learning

I had no idea how dark it could go. Before the crash, I’d sampled anxiety and depression. When I say sampled, I mean I’d felt one tiny aspect, and then been able to get over it. Take living in Canada for example. I was anxious at the start when I arrived. I had just flown …

Laura: a lesson plan

Jack’s cousin asked if she could use my story to educate others. “Taught that lesson today my kids really engaged with it... I've directed them to your blog. They were quite passionate that the driver only got 8 years too they were outraged when we read it in the article.” “I showed your lesson plan …

Head Scar

Safeside

I write this sat in Costa; my safe place. When I was coming back into the world, I lived in the one in the QE. Today, I went to a volunteer induction at Safeside. As I was leaving, whilst sat in my wheelchair, I witnessed a man trying to park his car. He was talking …