It was November 2006, and I was twenty-five. For the past few years, I’d been getting increasingly breathless whenever I exercised. Repeated doctor visits kept assuring me I was just unfit. I went to the gym, hiked, played badminton- I was even the Physical Education leader at my school. But, I trusted my GP. So … More When No Breath Comes
Nine years ago -this week- I collapsed whilst getting ready for work. Overnight my life changed. Completely and totally. Previously a busy and active primary school teacher, now I struggled to breathe and move and live. And no one knew why. For six difficult and exhausting months, I battled to subsist with my unfamiliar disabilities … More Happy Anniversary Lungs!
It was one of those precious times where the whole world is rosy and the face can’t stop grinning. One of those rare occasions where the specialness of a moment is realised at the very time it is occurring. I was bobbing at sea, aboard an inflatable dingy, laughing as Phil attempted to row us … More My Best PH Holiday
We have some solar powered fairy lights draped around the greenhouse in our garden. Throughout the winter months, they glimmer quietly and faintly, for just a wee hour, before shutting down and going back to sleep. However, come summer and sunshine, they are transformed. Beaming brightly all night long, they sparkle and shine, illuminating their … More Solar Powered Sarah
Today I woke up crying that I wasn’t a teacher. It always surprises me when this happens. When I was first ill, I would regularly think about my former job, and pine for the life I’d lost. But then over time, I slowly accepted it, and moved on, and found happiness again in my new … More I Miss Being A Teacher
I watched the Royal wedding from a ferry on the high seas. Excited and engrossed in the TV commentary, I thought little of where I was. However as the happy couple were eventually pronounced man and wife (incidentally in the exact same spot in Windsor, that Phil proposed to me, many moons ago), I suddenly … More Crossing The Sea
Before developing Pulmonary Hypertension, I’d only set foot inside a hospital a few times. Hospitals were not in my universe at all, not even in the far periphery. But after waking up seriously ill one morning, they swiftly become a central part of my world. And five years later, they still are. The reality of … More A Quick Check-Up
I’m a combination of both of my parents. I inherited my Dad’s short height and dark colouring, and my Mum’s ‘Mackness’ nose and straight hair. My musical ability comes from my Dad, and my athletic build from my Mum. And I inherited from them both -together- the gene to develop Pulmonary Venous Occlusive Disease. 😛 … More My Faulty Gene
If I win the lottery I’m going to buy a village. Yep, as well as a smart new campervan, an amazing off-road scooter, a house big enough for ten dogs… I’m going to purchase a whole village. Apparently for twenty million I could get a splattering of homes, an old forge and (most importantly) a … More Faraway Friends
Last Thursday my Dad had an operation. It was only supposed to be four hours long, so when the surgeon hadn’t reported back after four and a half hours… I began to worry. After five hours, I started googling surgery complications and other reasons why it might have been delayed. After six hours I started panicking … More The Problem With Worrying
We Can Adjust The Sails 