#hellomynameis

When Andy was first diagnosed with cancer I found myself trawling the internet, trying to find good news stories about people who had survived a stage 4 diagnosis.  It was during one of those searches that I found Dr Kate Granger.

Kate is an NHS doctor, she also has terminal cancer.

Being both doctor and patient has enabled Kate to see her profession through different eyes, as carer and cared for.

During a hospital stay in 2013, recovering from post-operative sepsis, Kate was struck by the fact that so many staff looking after her didn't introduce themselves before delivering her care.  As she said, it seemed incredibly wrong that such a basic step in communication was missing.

Kate and her husband Chris decided to start a campaign, to encourage and remind healthcare staff of the importance of introductions in healthcare.  And so the hashtag #hellomynameis was born.

The dreams you dared to dream...

Both my boys have high functioning autism.  We have (with their permission) always been very open about this, celebrating their difference, their uniqueness, their talents  - what they can do, not what they can't.

You can read more about our life with autism here http://www.wasthisintheplan.co.uk/p/aspergers.html

Theo, my eldest son is 19.  He was diagnosed in his early teens, as many quirky, intelligent, high functioning boys with autism tend to be.  Puberty was like kryptonite to his hormones, the meltdowns, the stress, the anxiety tested the whole family. School refusal, failing academic performance, arguments and challenging behaviour followed.  Life for all of was tough.  Although we were caring for the increasing medical needs of Daisy and our younger children, Theo's needs took up a huge amount of our time and energy .