Life//Adventures

Reconstructing my stroke. Too realistic #itvfixers #stroke

I saw this band about a month ago. Loving this video…opinions?

To Kill A King - Funeral.

Lots going on at the minute so havn’t posted for a little while so heres a quick update…

Job is going really well as is physio. Currently  appealing a DLA decision that I  am no longer entitled to any mobilitly rate, doesn’t seem right considering the short distance I can walk and the painI am often in? Today I also received my atos questionnaire so that is going to be a hoot too! I also have a lovely boyfriend now and between seeing him, seeing my friends, working, physio and dealing with paperwork I feel like I barely have time to breathe. As soon as I have some spare time i’ll do a proper update :) Until next time…

Yes yes yes! @mcflymusic #memorylane

giovannafletcher1:

Blooming marvellous! Political speech at its best - engaging, humorous and thought-provoking. Xx 

This is fab! I LOVE NEW ZEALAND

@gigbuddies training with @stayuplateuk #disability #equality!

OK I definitely didn’t but I couldn’t resist a little Busted reference and I did go on a tour around Terminal 2A which is currently being constructed… so that’s basically the same right? 

Just before Christmas my incredible friend and designer of the ‘Superstar’ jewellery range Jordanne Cliffe told me that her Dad had put Different Strokes forward to be one of the charities at Hetco, the company he works for’s Christmas Raffle. DS were accepted along with a local charity for disabled children. Then, In January, Jordanne sent me a message to say that the company had raised around £2000 for the charity and that they wanted me and Jordanne to collect the cheque to give to Different Strokes. On Feb 25th we were presented with the cheque, had a tour around the construction site and watched a few planes taking off. All in all it was an interesting way to spend a monday morning and I was very greatful on behalf of DS for the money they had raised and I know that the money will mean so much to everyone involved with the charity. 

The best (or worst ;) ) thing about the day was that when we were taking our safety gear off we went into a room where a boy, Simon, was sat working. When Jordannes dad came in Simon asked what was going on and he explained that we were there for the charity and that I’d had a stroke when I was 21. Simon’s reply was ‘I had a stroke when I was 17’ I was genuinely shocked, although I know a few people, I’ve never coincidently met someone my age(ish) who it had happened too. We chatted for a bit and he mentioned that he had met Sarah, ‘the girl from the undateables’ at a Connect meeting the week before which just seemed ridiculous, maybe I do know everyone who has had a stroke after all? Paha…

Anyway we swapped numbers and as it was my two year ‘celebration’ coming up Simon suggested the we got together with Sarah and Jordanne in London at the weekend, we went for dinner and drinks at Tottenham Court Rd and then to Covent Garden for a comedy show which was strange but fun, It was a very lovely way to look at the positives of what I’ve been through and think about all the great things that have come from it, especially all the new people I have met and continue to meet. 

“NEW FRIENDS!”

This is the kind of stuff I get to do in Physio now, pretty incredible for a session two years to the day of my stroke? Personally recommend private over NHS physio, they arent scared to push you and have seen people years on from their neurological injuries making great recoveries so aren’t of the attitude that you only have a small window of time to recover… as an NHS outpatient I was never pushed to the edge of my limits & now I’m doing this!

Paaaahaha

I’d really like to post the video to Bastille - Pompeii here so you know where I got the title from but as tumblr won’t let me i’ve had to explain it. 

Today has been pretty crazy, I didnt really expect it to be so emotional. I didn’t sleep great so have been shattered and had a lot on my mind. I’ve kind of been hit by waves of feeling sad throughout the day, I’d be fine, get a bit teary, five minutes later be fine again. A thought crossed my mind that this week is ‘so shit’ and I had to put it into perspective and laugh at my self, it could be so much worse. I guess sometimes it’s hard to remember whats important in life and trivial things can take over no matter what you’ve been through. 

I thought it would be nice & maybe help keep me perky tomorrow if  I listed some of the things that would never  have happened if I hadn’t had a stroke so here goes…

• Before my stroke I had been drifting away from a couple of my uni friends who I had been really close to in first year, I’m not sure we would be as close as we are now if it hadn’t happened
• I possibly wouldnt have been such a huge Jessie J fan (some of you might argue this isn’t a good thing but i’d disagree :p) 
• I wouldn’t have met some of the most lovely people in my life, Adam my student physio in hospital who is now a great friend and his girlfriend Marie who I am slowly stealing away from him, Sarah and Joanie Scott who I met through the stroke association, Callum who is a ‘cool dude’ that my physio put me in touch with, My physio Nikki Penny & her team and clients and many other stroke survivors who I have different levels of friendships with. This is starting to sound like an acceptance speech but basically it is contstantly opening new doors for me to meet new people
• I’d probably still be pretty ignorant towards disabilities instead I have produced a dissertation challenging the representation of disabilities on television, am much more open minded and have recently applied to be a ‘gig buddy’ in a scheme to help people with learning disabilities attend gigs. (cross your fingers for me!)
• I wouldn’t have met the lovely people at the stroke association or at different strokes or the incredible Nick Ede and had the opportunity to speak in front of a room of celebrities, appeared on Live with Gabby or in Look Magazine or been an ambassador for Style for Stroke
• Most importantly I’ve had the perfect excuse to wear velcro trainers for TWO YEARS. Whilst it’s been fun…get me out of them asap please.

I could probably go on more & if any friends or family can think of anything I would love to hear them :)