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Tag: thanks

  • To The Mama In Row 19

    To the Mama in row 19

    I watched you and your husband board the plane with your handsome 20 year old son who had Down syndrome. My insides freaked out when you sat right in front of me. On a giant plane with hundreds of people…. it was meant to be!!

    Your son kept turning around and playing with my boy. They were holding hands and making faces to eachother. You tried to distract your boy from “bugging” the people behind you. But then you turned around and saw my 5 year old who also has Down syndrome. Your face lit up!! You started playing with him from between the seats. Asking basic questions about him in broken English.

    Halfway through the flight my wife brought our 2 year old to me and we swapped kids. When you saw my ‘baby’ who also has Down syndrome you couldn’t contain yourself! You played with him through the seats for a matter of minutes before you were standing up with open arms to take him from me. And with zero hesitation I handed him over.

    For over half an hour I watched as you sang to him, snuggled him, played little games and loved on him. I watched your son stroke my boys face and give him many kisses on on the cheek. Despite the horrible travel we had prior, and our pure exhaustion, you couldn’t wipe the giant smile off my face for anything!

    As I watched your son my heart soared as I saw my future. And I know as you looked into to the almond eyes of my boys you saw your past.

    I would never ever just hand one of my kids off to a complete stranger. But you weren’t a stranger. Despite never knowing you. Despite your broken English and my zero ability to speak Spanish (unless dos cervezas por favor counts? 😂). You weren’t a stranger. You are family, you are my tribe, you are me. The connection, the understanding and the bond we share because of our journeys. One of my favorite things about parenting our amazing sons. The giant family we automatically joined because of 47 perfect chromosomes.

    To the Mama in row 19. Thank you 💛💙

    Credit https://www.facebook.com/holly.teare

  • How A Sty Nearly Killed Me!!!

    **Some of these photos are not very pleasant** After a discussion with my consultants I’ve decided to raise awareness to what happens to me and also publicly thank the doctors, consultants and nurses at Northwick hospital.. 

    on June 26th I picked a sty on my eye, went to bed, by 5am I woke feeling poorly, so poorly I text my doctor, completely unaware how seriously ill I had become, as you will see in the photos my face had swollen quite badly, this then continued to grow and over the course of a few hours- I became completely Unrecognisable, I sent a photo to my gp who immediately sent me to hospital, I was then taken by ambulance to another hospital, The next few hours can only be described as petrifying – Meanwhile I’m being sick, have no feeling in my fingers and toes and my temp is 42 !! 


    When we arrive at Northwick Park hospital a quick thinking doctor takes a photo of me and runs this to a consultant who at the time is in surgery, he immediately leaves and comes to see me, I’m given a CT scan and taken into surgery. 

    What I didn’t know is behind the eye is a tube ( I don’t know the medical name/term for this) and this leads straight to the brain… my infection was across my face and behind my eye… I was very close to brain damage, blindness and death. 


    These quick thinking doctors saved my life… things could have been so different. 

    The several anaesthetists who rushed me into surgery, the infection consultant, the facial surgeon, the night doctors, night nurses who changed my intravenous drip every hour on the hour, ( I had three, all three had two antibiotics drips) the hourly checks with my eye, temp and bloods. When they say nurses are over worked and unpaid. This is an understatement!!!!! 


    This was such a scary experience and I wouldn’t want anyone to have to go through this… please don’t pick stys, spots, anything ( these things lead to cellulitis/ bacteria meningitis) please don’t wait to call a doctor or get things checked out, life can me cut very short, very quickly.

    I will be forever grateful to all the doctors I have seen, everyone who works at the GREY ward in Northwick Park hospital!!! I can’t thank you enough from the bottom of my and my family heart. 


    To all my Danny, sister, to both our families and friends who have shown me so much love and support… your kindness and love has been truly extraordinary, I’ve been blown away by you all. 

    Tell people you love them, be kind and have no regrets. ❤️ 

    I am going to make a full recovery and already feel back my normal self.. and posting ;-))))) haha! 

  • Carers Do You Hear Me?

    When the chair is rocking slowly and the fading eye lids fall, when friends and family visits start to slow.It is my carer who I call.

    I’m sorry, I know you’re busy but please don’t rush me dear, my legs are very tired and I can’t help but fear.

    I press my buzzer, I call out, I shout, I wish you would come near, I know I’ve pressed it often but I am lonely here.

    I cannot make it to the toilet and you have to change my pad, I didn’t mean to make a mess, please talk to me with dignity and tell me what you’re doing, turn me slowly, don’t push and shove.

    When I’m laying in my bed and you are washing me, don’t talk to your colleague as if I’m not here, I like to hear about your children and to tell you about my life, I wasn’t always like this and I have so many stories running through my head.

    You work such long hours and your pay is very small, but I am very thankful for all you do , when you smile and joke with me, when you comfort and calm me, when you sit with me and hold my hand, when you remember I am a person who sometimes doesn’t understand.