I’m still not quite sure where this is heading… Today I want to talk about Family and how they have helped me overcome barriers.
My family is relatively simple. There’s my mum, my dad, my older sister, Ciara, my twin sister, Lisa and me.
Lisa will try to convince you she is older, but surprisingly that’s actually me (3 minutes older I might add), she’s the baby of the family. She makes me laugh everyday and I am so glad I had her growing up to be my voice and someone who can make me smile, even on those really rubbish days. Ciara is 3 years older and she had the responsibility of showing us two what we could get away with growing up, and what was completely off limits with mum and dad and in school. She is the person I go to when I’m feeling down or just need a chat and a hug. She will also tell me straight if I’m being a numpty and worrying about something that doesn’t need worrying about, or that I cannot change. They are my best friends.
Mum and Dad- two of the kindest and most thoughtful people I know. They have been there through everything, from picking me up from Guildford at 10pm because I have had a little too much, too quickly (sorry again dad), to getting me into hospital, through my operations and on the road to recovery for all 22 of my operations. Our friends have always said how brilliant, lovely and friendly our parents are and I can safely say now, they are all that and more. Thank you for everything.
Now that the soppy stuff is out of the way, let’s move on…
Growing up is difficult for anyone. There are so many changes and they all happen so quickly. One minute you are 4 years old, hanging onto your mum’s leg because you don’t want to follow your sister further into the Reception class you have found yourself in, and the next you are in Year 13 trying to decide on which University you want to go to and what you want to do for ‘the Rest of Your Life’. In my case what I chose in Year 13 was in fact not what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, so I left that uni after my first year and joined another- best decision of my life! It’s scary and exciting and has all happened in the blink of an eye.
Now imagine all those ‘normal’ changes and add on 22 operations. I am not going to lie, that was difficult, painful and sometimes very frustrating. I know without my family surrounding me there is not a chance I would be standing where I am, and I definitely would not have had the guts to contemplate writing (No matter how bad these are), In future blogs I will talk more about the operations but that is for another day and too long for now. Now I know I said the soppy stuff was done… sorry here we go again!
Mum has always been stood next to me at endless hospital appointments, lending a listening ear because she knows I don’t always listen. She stayed with me as a child through all those hospital visits and she calmed me down when my thoughts raced too fast and I couldn’t settle before going under.
Dad, again has always been there. He has guided me to the right decision and has never pushed me into doing something I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted. He has been my advisor-asking all the right questions and making sure we have been fully informed before making the choice as to whether to go through with the next stage of treatment or not.
Ciara, she’s my big sister and knows exactly what to say and how to calm me down. I realise it must have been hard to see me in hospital or recovering at home. Not once has she not come to see me, or helped to look after me after a particularly bad stage in recovery. She gives the best hugs and makes me smile no end. I’m glad she has looked after Lisa whilst I’ve not been there.
Lisa. Again, she has been there to make me laugh, even when she isn’t supposed to- jaw surgery anyone? She has had my back in many situations, and was my voice when I didn’t feel I had one in school. After every operation she has been there to look after me and as with Ciara, she has visited me every time, even when she has found it hard, or when I have fallen asleep in the middle of a conversation with the both of them. She has looked after me in recovery and helped Ciara too I am sure.
That’s all for today. Enjoy the soppiness. I promise they won’t all be like this :).
Sinead xx
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