“How are you?” My friends and family ask me regularly. I don’t know what to say. I haven’t given myself a moment to actually contemplate how I feel about any of my current situation. Samuel was admitted to hospital again nearly three weeks ago. He was struggling to breathe and was getting weaker and weaker. […]
The Next Part of the Story Read More »
Back in June I wrote a blog on Samuel’s sudden decline in health. But since then, I have remained largely quiet about the details because it has been so intense. The summer has been tough for so many reasons. Since Samuel’s hospitalisation in June, he has been housebound about 85% of the time. He struggles
The Saga Continues… Read More »
Samuel has always been one of my main carers. Since he started taking on that caring role, he has enabled me to live within the boundaries my M.E. has given me. He helped me thrive rather than just survive. But now he is sick, really sick, and it sucks. One of the chapters in my
When the Care-giver Gets Really Sick… Read More »
I am so unbelievably excited to share with you the news that A Girl Beyond Closed Doors has won The People’s Book Prize for Best Achievement 2024! The Best Achievement award is given each year to the author whose book advances the human condition, benefitting their community, or the world at large in some way.
The People’s Book Prize 2024 Read More »
The past couple of days haven’t gone to plan. Valentines Day and Samuel was in A&E then yesterday it ended up being me. I’ve had a very sharp stabbing pain in my back which has been making it challenging to take a deep breath and I woke up yesterday morning hardly able to breathe due
My Terrible Experience at A&E Read More »
So I’ve now been blogging on and off for ten whole years. I started my writing on my Facebook page and continued it on my website, but I’ve been writing for pretty much the entirety of my chronic illness journey (nearly 16 years now!), I just spent a lot of that time writing in my
Being a Chronically Ill Writer is Hard Read More »
I must be getting older because it feels like the years are passing even more quickly. 2021…where do I even begin? It has been a year of incredible – and very personal – highs mixed in with some lows that threatened to take the stuffing out of me. On a personal level, I moved house
Reflecting on 2021 Read More »
After writing this blog post on my phone nearly three weeks ago, I ended up having to scrap it because my brain was so fogged that I couldn’t think… Or move… Or breathe without being in immense suffering. I had just got the news that a much- awaited consultant appointment with rheumatology had been cancelled.
Do People Know What I mean When I Say “I’m in Pain”? Read More »
I’m used to living a very restricted life and even I’m struggling to manage. Before the pandemic hit us, I had started to venture outside more often and had managed to go in a shop. As you’ll see in my latest book, I didn’t even enter a shop for YEARS… I literally didn’t go into
I am Disabled and I Still Matter Read More »
I’m not a huge fan of Valentine’s Day but I get asked a lot about my relationship and thought this was the best time to mention it. I first met Samuel five and a half years ago after deciding to try doing some online dating. To be honest I didn’t really have a choice as
A Valentine Q&A with Samuel Read More »