During my time in secondary school, I could frequently be found in the school nurses office. What started as the ‘average teenager’ anxiety, turned into terrifying panic attacks and anxiety episodes. Around the same time, I fainted in the air during a trampolining class, and landed in a crumpled mess which caused severe neck and back pain. As time went on, no matter how much physio support I had, the pain got worse and worse and it spread to other parts of my body. Finally. after roughly 7 years of doctors appointments, physio and chiropractor visits, and countless scans, I was told that I was suffering with Fibromyalgia in 2015.
Then came 2016. I suppose you could call it a breakdown.. I left university during my second year. My anxiety sky-rocketed. Pain levels soared. I cut myself off from my whole family. Then I was admitted to an eating disorder unit for 2 months suffering from EDNOS (eating disorder not otherwise specified), and it was here that I found and fell in love with crochet and other crafts. After being discharged on my 20th birthday, I began to take control of my symptoms with lots of physical and psychological support.
I moved back home with my mum and dad, and shortly after found out that my mum had stage 4 lung cancer with secondary tumours on her scalp, liver and pancreas. Specialists from all over got together to discuss my mums case as her cancer had presented itself so uniquely. Less than 12 months later, July 2017, my mum passed away. What’s worse is that the cancer wasn’t the cause of her death, but instead an extremely rare side effect of Naproxen and other common medications called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis.
I had began working at a secondary school for young people with Special Educational Needs in April 2017 as an apprentice teaching assistant. Working for an organisation that caters for pupils with additional needs, I felt safe and understood. However, in February 2018, I was assaulted by a student that I wasn’t familiar with, which resulted in me being taken to hospital in the back of an ambulance on a spinal board, with morphine and gas and air. I assumed that I would have endless support from the HR department and their occupational health scheme, but when it came to me coming back to work, they were not very helpful or understanding. I had recommendations from their OH and my own doctor, stating that due to my conditions and the assault, I would be able to return to work slowly, and with my contracted hours changed to part time hours for a minimum of 6 months. The HR department refused to adapt my contract so I chose to remain off work until my contract ran out in October 2018. I absolutely loved my job, but I refuse to work for an organisation that does not give the support that their staff need, or understand the conditions that they may have.
I am hoping to enrol at a college next September to study accounting, and have created Quality Quirk to keep myself busy and positive.