I am and always have been an advocate for therapy, I believe the mind is a part of the body that should be looked after in the same way as your legs and arms are in the gym, flexed regularly and supported in recovery! I have always maintained a therapist since I was 19/20yrs, sometimes I won’t see her for months, but if it is required, I visit more often.

Growing up was pretty standard for me, bullied a bit, met girls, got some education, left school, got a job……… life moved on. As it did, I met with a number of challenges along the way: 

• 2004: Wife diagnosed with terminal illness HD (Huntington’s Disease).
• 2005: PGD (preimplantation genetic diagnosis) process to have children. Resulting in 2 miscarriages and 2 failed attempts.
• 2006: Best friend committed suicide.
• 2007: Twin girls born.
• 2011: Wife started to have symptoms of HD.
• 2015: Diagnosed with High Grade Oligodendroglioma, 8.5cm brain tumour.
• 2015: Brain Surgery.
• 2015: DVLA took away my driving licence due to tumour (2 years).
• 2017: Suffer 23 complex multiple seizures in 12 hours (another 2 years with no licence).
• 2017: Wife moved into a Residential Care home.
• 2019: Wife passed away.
• 2020: Uncle diagnosed with cancer and passed away.

Therapy helped me greatly. My Therapist and I talked through my worries and how I could manage things, set priorities and coping mechanisms. But also, when to identify when I was under extreme stress, what that looked like for me and more importantly, when I was in a very dark place, what I could do to step away from the edge. Thankfully this has enabled me to deal with issues in my life and support those around me, in addition to myself.

That’s my story, be brave and share yours……