With the new year fast approaching I like to reflect back on how the year has been and what I have achieved. Last years post can be found here .
My thought for 2019 was:
2019 is going to be a great year, a year to focus on achieving the best health I can and enjoy life again. There will be hiccups, there will be hospital admissions but rather than feeling defeated by this I will accept them as part of my life and ongoing management!
Well I guess some of it is correct but I am pretty sure when I wrote that I did not think I would be in the position I am now in, it has not been all bad though!
I have focused on trying to improve my health. I made decisions and took steps I never thought I would to really put my body first. I gave up working in the hospital to try and get my breathing better. To start with this was going well but after a few very traumatic asthma attacks my life has been changed and Ia have been left with more permanent damage and had to come of biologic treatment as a result. I am working hard though to over come this. I am determined I will get my independence back and be able to walk without a stick. I may not get the feeling back in my leg but I can work with this. Along with work I decided to not travel to various things mainly lacrosse because I felt I would not be supported and I would not be able to prioritise myself.
I have continued coaching lacrosse at schools, universities and with Scotland. I gave up working with the senior team and focus on working with the goalkeepers in the U19 set up which has been so rewarding. The U19 also brought me all sorts of things back from their World Cup which I was gutted I couldn’t go to- mainly due to poor communication from the seniors letting me think something different but then it turned out I was in hospital too for it. I am looking forward to this year and being back with the U19 Scotland team. I am still coaching at schools and picked up a 2nd team at Edinburgh University so now coach the 2nd’s and the 3rd’s. I am loving coaching and find it so rewarding.
Research and advocacy as always has been a big part of the year. In fact travelling to a huge advocacy conference in Dallas was life changing. The HealtheVoices event was something else. I loved every minute of it. I made so many friends and realised that I am not alone in what I am trying to achieve. Speaking about your own experiences and how to navigate living life with a chronic health condition is beneficial for others. You can make changes even if they are small. I will be forever grateful for my time in Dallas. I also had other events where I was presenting including some pharmacuetical internal events, wider NHS events where I made some great friends and we are going to try and pull off some great things this year, went to Madrid for the European Respiratory Society Congress where I had a poster accepted for the patient day, presented a poster at the AUKCAR ASM as well as some other virtual events too. It has been busy and I think will only get busier this year. I have been able to write for a pharma company who have a website called Life Effects where I can write articles about my experience of living with severe asthma. Off the back of HealtheVoices I became a PEARLS Ambassador through the work of Rick Guidotti which has been great and have got to know some of the other ambassadors too. So far I have several events planned for 2020 that I am speaking at and I am sure there will be more as the year goes on.
The biggest part of this year has been getting Ghillie. Ghillie has been life changing. I cannot believe that I got him in April. I cant imagine life without him now. He is achieving so much and is always there for me. I will do a post just for him to update on how he is and what he is doing. I never thought he would be as good as he is now. He can be a total monkey but then when I am not feeling good or am struggling he is there to comfort me and help me with things. Topping the year off with him being a feature in a newspaper article all about what his role is as my assistance dog.
What are my hopes and aspirations for 2020. I want to continue as I have with 2019. Focus on my health and do what I need to do to ensure it can be the best it can be. I am sure like with 2019 there will be hospital admissions, hard times, illness, frustrations but I can over come them. I just need to be patient and work my way through things. I want to grow my toolbox of skills that I can use to better myself and use my experiences to help others. My friendships this year have suffered a lot- mainly because I have struggled so much and been so unwell that I cant attend things so I end up bailing on friends and they get bored with me always cancelling so don’t invite me to things anymore. I want to try and change this and make a real effort to go to things. I value my friendships so much and don’t want to lose anymore.
2020 is going to be a year of positivity, focusing on finding my best self and feeling content with life.
I hope everyone has a fantastic 2020.
Live the life you want to live.
ANONYMOUS-ASTHMA 