Building a Future

 I don't like being called an inspiration. 

I am not. 

I get called that for simply living my life with my disability.

I'm not doing anything special, I'm just kind of getting on with things, like most people. Just because some things are harder for me than they are for the average individual does not make me inspirational.  

Not one single person on the planet does not have some problem to deal with, emotional, mental or physical.

Going through life does not make you in anyway an inspiration. 

I have written a lot about the importance of having a goal, a dream. Something to aim for, aspire to.

Build your own future. 

My nephew, Angus, inspires me to do this.

He is not an inspiration just for living everyday with his disability, he is inspiring because he uses his situation to the absolute best of his ability. He aims to show everybody not to accept their own limitations without putting up a fight.

This is a valuable lesson that we can all learn from. Just because the odds are against you there is never a reason to give up.

Like many disabled people, quality of life depends on how good the equipment you have is. Decent equipment costs money. Lots of it. This is why we must fundraise for Angus to keep fighting.

WCMX involves taking your wheelchair onto the skate park and riding it like a BMX.

 In only a few months Angus had pushed himself from a child using a wheelchair who could not even remove the anti-tippers, to a child who is confident and determined to compete and succeed in a sport popping down kerbs and throwing himself down ramps.

It was a bumpy road to get there. Mountainous in fact. Angus was born with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele. This is the most severe type of spina bifida and basically means that he was born with a hole in his back exposing the spinal cord.
This affects many parts of the body from walking to balance, from speech to continence and even vision.

Everyone with Spina Bifida is different.

It all began in June 2018, aged just 7, Angus, inspired by watching Youtube clips of Aaron Fotheringham and Lily Rice doing WCMX, decided he was fed up of not joining his brothers in the skate park.

No more sitting on the sidelines.

Angus decided to fundraise for a lightweight chair to help him reach his dreams...and keep up with his friends!!

T-Shirts were donated by Oliver signs and embroidery for his 8 mile roll down the Thames and a greeting arranged by the Lions club (links below).

Angus manages to wheel over three miles independently and makes several local newspapers, he is also nominated for two Pride of Reading awards.

Determined schoolboy hopes to become wheelchair moto cross star.

Angus’ videos on social media and resulting media coverage became widely seen and he had the opportunity to meet his heroe's, Aaron Fotheringham and Lily Rice. Photos below:

In October 2018 Angus received life changing funding from Princes Gate Trust for a bespoke WCMX chair from Roma.

In August 2019 Angus competed in division 5 of the WCMX World Championships in Cologne. He worked hard and gained 5th place!! Not bad for a boy who only started riding 11 months before! It has been a life changing experience for him. Angus is not only growing in spirit but physically too and needs a chair to continue.

Pictured below is Angus competing in the WCMX World Championships in Germany in 2019, aged just 9.

Featured in SHINE magazine, the publication for people living with Spina Bifida:

Angus has grown and now needs £7000 to continue and fund a new WCMX chair. Any support is appreciated.

A Facebook Fundraiser can be found using this link.  Even a tiny donation adds up and anything you can give will be gratefully received. Even just sharing the links helps reach more people.

If you would like to donate via PayPal or bank transfer or wish to offer support in another way, you can email me at: emmabuckett@gmail.com

A raffle is being held on the 20th of November to help this cause and some of the kind prize contributors are:

Experience Days

Caversham Lakes

Java Whiskers Cat Cafe

Sincere thank you's for all support.

Be the Flame

 It is difficult to not just withdraw from life. 

A pandemic still ravishes the Earth and I am still just going day to day! 

I am certainly no expert on how to cope post lockdown, my mental health can be dire at best, but here are my 5 suggestions how to move forward with:

    Socialise.

Unfortunately fairy tales do not always happen. Neither a relationship, nor your true love, is just going to appear on your sofa whilst you binge watch Netflix. You are going to actually have to get your hands dirty and interact with people. I know that the idea of this sounds horrific to the people with social anxiety and the first step will always be down to you. Even this may sound scary believe me the benefits will be major. Not only will socialising raise your confidence, you will also be able to make new friends and meet people you would never usually have met. 

Although there is no substitute for real face-to-face contact, social media and video chat allows people at home to be able to have contact with others without even leaving the house.

   Remember, you are human.

You have faults and this is a human condition. You might have more than others to deal with because of your disability but don't forget that everybody has these faults and it is not just you.

   Remember, the others are human.

It is easy to get lost in your own head but remember to peek out at others, be understanding and patient. Remember that just because you cannot see somebody's disability does not mean that they are not struggling.

    Smile.    

A smile can go a long way A smile might be the only interaction that an individual needs that day to make them feel better. A smile costs nothing to give and not only makes you more attractive but makes those around you feel happier.

    Be the Flame.

This simply means that when you are feeling as good as you are able to, then you come across to others in the best possible light. The simplest way to do this is to do the little things that make you feel good, don't be afraid to wear the dress/shirt that you have been saving for a special occasion or to put on the aftershave/perfume that you like to wear when going out. Put on that special piece of jewellery that you don't usually show off. The idea being that if you do the things that make you feel special, the good feeling will spread and this will attract others to you like moths to a flame.

Be the flame.

Unexpected Side Effects and Gratitude

 Last year I spent some time making a video for Ataxia UK detailing most of the manky things I have to do everyday and how I cope with my disability. 

Watch it here: It Works For Me

I have no intention of becoming a vlogger (I am certainly no where near as good as Joe Tracini!), the effort was a lot even though I did enjoy it.

Through the praise and thank yous' I received through honestly portraying my daily life I learnt that your own actions, however small, can have unexpected side effects. Good ones. Always be kind. Pass on the positive.

A mention in a blog by one of the strongest men I have met:

Not Ashamed Anymore by Richard C Brown MBE

Vaccines and Fear

Even after shielding for almost a year from a potentially deadly virus that is threatening mankind, I was unsure whether I wanted to be injected with, what is hopefully, a vaccine.

The world is in the grip of a viral pandemic, covid-19, and I am considered clinically extremely vulnerable because catching it would likely make me more ill than most people.

Life threateningly so.

Fear is my new normal.

I have a few disabilities that affect my immune system and physical functions. I also have stage two heart failure.

My reluctance to have the vaccine was due to my own reluctance to have foreign things injected into my body and of the alternative media coverage coupled with my own distrust of the Government.

When I received the text from my local surgery asking me to book in for the vaccination I was literally in two minds about whether to do so. After much thought I decided to trust my primary instinct and have the vaccine, with the idea that maybe in the future, at some point, I might be able to go outside normally again and see the family and friends that I really miss. 

My experience was a lot better than I thought it would be and even showed me that many of the myths surrounding the vaccine are not true.

I used the link provided on the text to book in for my vaccine and it was a very easy process. I just had to provide my date of birth and then pick a convenient day and time.

When I turned up at the surgery, there was a queue but because I am a wheelchair user I got to use an alternative door that was easier for me to get in. Otherwise people are taken on a first-come first-served basis.

There are 5 people in the room and each vial of vaccine is enough for five or six people.

The nurse administering the vaccine was my diabetic nurse and the doctor supervising was my old GP who had come out of retirement, voluntarily, to help. This really made me feel better.

I had the Pfizer AstraZeneca vaccine and after I was injected I was given a sticker with a time on it and I had to stay until the time was up (15 minutes), just in case I had a reaction. I did not and nobody I saw that day either.

Here are the fears I had and from my experience do not appear to be true:

·       The vaccine contains a microchip. 

The only time in which I identified myself was just before I received the vaccine, so that they can take note of who was being vaccinated.

·       The vaccine will change your DNA.

It is not possible for a protein vaccine to alter DNA. It will provide further instructions to your RNA in order for your immune system memory to remember the protein to fight covid-19 should you ever get it.

·       The vaccine has content tailored just for you.

I received the same vaccine as 5 other totally different individuals. Different ages, ethnicities and genders on a first-come first-served basis.

·       The vaccine will make you infertile.

Firstly, I don't really mind if it did because I never plan on having children but secondly it is highly unlikely that a protein-based vaccine would have this capability and there is no evidence so far for this to be true.

·       Having the vaccine will give you covid-19.

It is protein-based and this is impossible because you are not being injected with covid-19.

The side effects of having the vaccine will make you really ill.

I only had two side effects and they were that my arm, where I had the injection was a little tender for the evening post injection and I felt a little bit achy.

I do know some people that have had a little bit of nausea, headache or a little bit of a fever but that only lasts for the evening and like me, they were fine the next day.

 

I hope that by sharing my experience people will be a little bit less afraid if they decide to have the vaccination.

Reasons to Stay Alive

2020 has been very difficult for everybody in many different ways.

Unfortunately 2021 will not get a lot better for quite a long time so it is safe to say that despite the new year, the hard times are not over yet.

How can you cope?  I wish there was an answer.
Perhaps if I share my coping mechanism it might help you.

Early last year, before all the Corona stuff happened, I read a book by Matt Haig called Reasons to Stay Alive and this tells his story about learning to to live again following his mental breakdown. He tries to focus on and remember to be thankful for what he has in his life, not on the bad stuff.
At the end of The Hunger Games Katniss tells her young infant how she copes with the Post Traumatic Stress caused by competing, by saying that she lists everything she is thankful for. She describes this as 'getting a little bit tedious when you do it all the time but there are worst games to play'.

I think that is how we all continue forward from this point, by counting our blessings.

I am grateful for my mum and for having a roof over my head, enough food to eat, my beautiful carefree kitten, Maggie and of course Wi-Fi and Netflix (!).

I have even managed to meet lovely new people and do some new things this year. However, after the weirdest year the last thing I expected was to be nominated for an award. In particular one for my blogging which, as my friends are aware is not a regular thing for me. I only tend to post when I have something to say.

Quality not quantity.

So a big surprise when Richard C Brown nominated me for the Sunshine blogger award. He is a fantastic blogger and here is the link:

World According To Me

I thoroughly recommend that you click the link, have a read and find out what a literal genius he is, as well as a much-loved trustee of Ataxia UK and an MBE.

To accept the award there are a few requirements:

• Thank the person who nominated you and provide the link to their blog
• Display the Sunshine Blogger Award logo
• Answer 11 questions (Richard has kindly provided me with 11 questions)
• Nominate up to 11 other bloggers for the award, which I will do in a separate post.
• Provide 11 questions for your nominees

What makes a good blog post?

Have something to say. Don't just waffle.

I like posts that are not just informative but they have a message behind as well I really like it when you get lots of useful information and can relate to an article but also so it provides some kind of answer to a dilemma or or reason for moving forward.

What one thing or person has changed your life?

There is not one thing. My life is many things.

Family = my mum because she enables me to be able to live my life.

Friendship = Lucy, Alison and Lesley. Dr Tuppy Owens who has enabled me to gain a social life and have relationships which I never thought I would.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, I have three. Lily a male African leopard tortoise, age unknown but estimated at about 12. Dillon a male Mediterranean hermann's tortoise, 20 years old and a recent edition, Maggie who is a 7-month old kitten.

Have you done any voluntary work? 

I finished paid work in 2012 due to my disability. Since then I have had three voluntary jobs spread out over this time.

Admin for Dysphagia Matters.

Membership Secretary for Berkshire Tortoise Club.

Trustee for the Outsiders Trust.

I am hoping to volunteer for Ataxia UK and possibly as a text counsellor for Shout.

What is your big passion in life?

People. Family, friends. Socialising, listening, being kind, paying it forward, sending out good karma. That makes life worthwhile.

What have you rediscovered during lockdown?

Gaming on PC and Embroidery.

What is your favourite film and why?

Well the answer to that would be Edward Scissorhands. I love the story and the innocence of the character of Edward. It is so well written, acted and is visually stunning. The music is great too.

Have you ever done anything to raise money for charity?

Yes I have been doing that kind of thing my whole life, right back in the early 90s when I started with the sponsored 24-hour famine. Every year we had a sponsored walk at school and the money would go to a good cause. All my voluntary work includes assisting to raise awareness and funds. Most recently if you look at my last blog, I made a video for Ataxia UK and and posted it with own a donate button and raised £150.

Are you a gamer?

Yes. I have recently rediscovered some of point and click games that I used to play a lot.

I absolutely love Tomb Raider and and have them all but unfortunately with the decline of my hand function I am no longer able to play my PlayStation.

Do you believe in Ghosts?

I guess the answer would have to be no I do not believe that there are spirits and entities around (I ain't 'fraid of no ghosts!) although I will admit to having been to see a few medium shows such as the late Colin Fry when he was touring and I was very entertained. I guess I went because I was curious but nothing happened to me.

Where and when in history would you visit?

Being such a sci-fi dystopian fan it has always been the future that has intrigued me but the answer would be ancient Egypt. The pharaohs and their culture has fascinated me for decades and I have seen many documentaries and read many books about the subject. To experience it would be amazing.