Well with July being Disability Awareness Month, I couldn't not post. This is a cause close to my heart because I am actually physically disabled. I didn't used to be. I used to be extremely active. I never drove, so would walk everywhere. I played various sports\u2026running, badminton, swimming to name a few\u2026I even picked up my Taekwondo blackbelt in 2015.<\/p>
I enjoyed running my Remedial Massage business - meeting new people & catching up with my regulars, watching them leave with their pains\/injuries\/life stresses relieved. I also enjoyed meeting friends for lunch & being involved with my local community..<\/p>
I was always a \u2018people person\u2019 chatting away, laughing, assisting wherever I could & bouncing through life. There were always challenges along the way but you learn to meet them head on & adapt, taking pleasure in the small things as you go along. Life was generally, a breezy joy.<\/p>
That was my old life because in June 2022 I sustained my own injury & one which is unbelievably common! It was a completely different challenge to any I had met before. I didn't realise at the time though, it would be completely life changing!<\/p>
I suddenly one Saturday morning, found myself unable to move & experiencing an unimaginable & indescribable pain all through my body, after trying to put my beloved Levis jeans on! I can only describe it as feeling like I'd been electrocuted. Even although I've never been electrocuted, thankfully!<\/p>
My body started to sweat, I felt nauseous & was utterly terrified, unable to think what to do, as I was alone. I was paralysed on my right side, from the belt-line down. You may wonder what this injury was\u2026 It was a prolapsed disc (for the anatomically trained readers, L5\/S1). I would have inserted my scan images but don't want to scare anyone.<\/p>
Long story short, I was scanned in hospital before being sent home with painkillers & told it should improve. It improved little & I received decompression surgery 3 months later which was amazing because I was finally pain free! Unfortunately, it didn't return my right leg to me though..<\/p>
Since then, I have been physically, mentally & emotionally exhausted but unable to heal because of constant admin & fighting my corner with authorities to receive assistance (to clarify, I can no longer work in my Remedial Massage business). In fact, my whole life has become rather limited in ways you cannot imagine unless you have experienced it\u2026but all that is another kettle of fish altogether.<\/p>
I have in-between times & when there is the energy (I have to choose what my limited energy is spent on), tried to gain extra money for bills through online means such as Vinted or Ebay but to no avail.<\/p>
However, when i started this little print on demand sustainable product business Egeiro Naturals, i found it helped to relax me somewhat & distract me from everything i was dealing with.(both my injury issues & authority issues, which are 2 different sets of issues I have found).<\/p>
I've always been very creative, so designing products appealed to me, I could do it in a comfortable position with little physical exertion, plus it's environmental & climate change angle, was right up my street. I love the recyclable & Organic cotton elements with the forward thinking renewable energy. Its amazing! However, it has remained difficult to focus on fully, while dealing with continual paperwork\/phonecalls\/emails with authorities, taking up most of my time & energy. I haven't been able to focus the way I would like, on activities which would ironically, both help my healing journey (at least mentally) and bring me much needed extra money.<\/p>
I look forward to continuing to build Egeiro Naturals as much as I can & as previously stated in earlier blogs, my organic skincare products I was designing before my injury! I think the two compliment each other perfectly..I'll keep you posted on any developments!<\/p>
Although the injury\/authorities admin part of my life has been rather full on - even more so this year & I'm by no means out of the woods yet, I can at least see some light at the end of the tunnel..finally!..<\/p>
Then i can finally start to think about healing myself & how to find a new way to live..instead of just trying to survive the day. I cant say how exhausting the last 2 years have been, not to mention heart breaking & soul destroying (I still cannot walk properly. Every step is an effort but I'm graced with a blackbelt mentality). This has been one of the toughest challenges of my life but you can't keep a blackbelt down for long!..\ud83d\ude09<\/p>
My reason for sharing this personal story, is to highlight that :<\/p>
1\/ this situation could happen to absolutely anyone. Prolapsed discs are unnervingly common\u2026and<\/p>
2\/ we really should not judge others! We don't know what other people's back stories are & how they got there.<\/p>
I was taught this as a child & carried it through life but I find others are awful quick to make assumptions, without possessing the facts.<\/p>
I have seen life from the other side of the fence, as a recently disabled person & it is far from pretty. From the daily challenges, to the way others treat you. No one realises that becoming disabled brings with it, not only physical pain & daily challenges in the simplest of tasks but also a complete identity & existential crisis..You have to grieve who you were.<\/p>