Taken by Surprise

I had some great responses about the Echo article, a majority of them were my gorgeous family and friends but it seems all the retweeting, sharing and forwarding that everyone did got my plans out there!

I have one friend running a 10k in aid of Motivation, a friend who wishes to have a musical evening at their piano shop, my favourite little cafe’ and I are in discussion for a charity meal and several people have been e-mailing regarding donating their shoes (see Plans for Motivation here).

So, we have lots planned, all very exciting! Will keep you posted and hope that more of you get involved!

I’m desperate to get all of these evening running and sorted for next week but I have to reign in my plans and take it slowly at the moment.

The CRPS/RSD is still getting worse and I’m spending an increasing amount of time in bed or passed out on a sofa (literally!). I’m finding it hard not to get down about it, even though my lovely boy is home from California, I’m hardly the ball of energy and life he’d probably like to see.

To my surprise a constant companion of mine has been the Olympics and Paralympics. I spent the last five years since London got the bid, refusing to believe I would be taken in by all the hype and as I’ve mentioned on many occasions here – I don’t do sport! Watching, following or playing sports just doesn't appeal to me. 

I think it’s because I’m not competitive (unless I’m playing Monopoly against my brother Michael who’s a bad loser and an even worse winner!) but either way right up until the opening ceremony I was not going to spend hours watching something I didn’t enjoy just because we were hosting it.

Well, from the moment I saw our Queen doing a spoof scene with James Bond I was hooked!! I’ve spent many an afternoon glued to my TV getting so into the events that I’ve found myself hyperventilating, shouting at the box as though they can actually hear me and on occasion stood up with some vigour only to realise that wasn’t a great idea, it hurts a lot and collapsed back on the sofa!

I actually got competitive! I had many conversations about the medal ratio to countries population and by definition we were kick the rest of the worlds butt!

It’s lovely to see everyone as geared up for the Paralympics as they were for the Olympics. I did worry that it would be seen as a sub event, a winding down from the big event, but the news, facebook, twitter and countless blogs are all still as excited as I am!

To address a few messages I’ve had regarding athletes having CRPS/RSD and “if they can get up and do something why can’t you?” as I’ve explained before CRPS/RSD is different for every person, as is every other condition. We all have limits and some of us are luckier to have the gumption and higher pain threshold to deal with the condition better.

Although look at Rachel Morris – hand cyclist, gold medallist and CRPS sufferer. She gained a Gold in Beijing and sadly she had to have both legs amputated because of the condition, it got so bad, so painful and life was so unbearable that she had to have the amputations.

Rachel Morris -  Gold Medallist - CRPS Suffer

Life for Rachel is no doubt still incredibly difficult without her legs but she’s doing great things, like Rachel defending her gold medal many of us are defending our bodies against the condition trying not to end up having to take such extreme measures. 

Although the last month has brought day’s where I would kill for my legs to be amputated, I’m taking small steps (every pun intended!) to keep going, get out of bed and have a life even if it’s entirely done from my bedroom!

L x

  

There Are No Words!

I was going to write about my lovely weekend at the Vitality Show and Ideal Home Show – both held at Earls Court – both were fantastic fun, I got lots of health and beauty goodies and Mike bought a lot of sausages and cheese. I’d recommend both of the events for anyone interested in health products, D.I.Y and fresh food produce.

A side note to my previous planned blog was another finger wagging in the direction of public transport services and their forever lack of ramps, lifts and helpful staff but then I stumbled upon a campaign from Channel 4 (UK).

No Go Britain – is a series of video’s highlighting the UK’s lack of safe and reliable public transport (ahead of the Paralympics) for disabled spectators and indeed those competing.

No Go Britain Campaign Video

Although I’m always grateful for these awareness campaigns, why is it only coming to people’s attention 4 months before the entire world descends on our capital city? Surely all these issues should have been as much under construction as the stadium it’s self?

Still - No Go Britain have got Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson one of our most famous Paralympian’s on their side and  in one of the video’s she speaks of when she booked assistance off a midnight train at Kings Cross only to be greeted with an empty platform and having to throw her wheelchair off the train and crawl off! The lack of dignity and grace for anyone let alone a Baroness is infuriating.

If this wasn’t enough, when this story was published yesterday Lady Grey-Thompson received a torrent of abuse with comments like 'what gives her the right to speak, she should be at home, she shouldn't be out at midnight, she should be better organised' and ‘maybe there should be a cattle truck at the back of the train forwheelchair users so they can all sit together’!!!!

I almost spat out my breakfast reading these comments! It’s odd; I’ve been told that I should have been killed at birth, that I should stick with my own kind and that my parents should have aborted me but people’s anger, resentment and plain stupidity still shocks me!

Please repost this blog, the video’s and articles on your Facebook and Twitter – how can it be 2012 and still be this behind with equality and basic human rights?

L x