When Life Gives You Lemons: Rosie Jones

A few weeks ago I attended the Women of the World festival in Norwich.  I took part in a panel about how the role of caring often falls to women and  I also shared my story and the lessons it has taught me on the final day.  I got to meet lots of lovely readers and signed copies of my book.

I stayed with my great friend Helen Linehan.  She was also talking at the event as part of a panel about women in the media (Helen co-wrote the BBC comedy, Motherland).  On the first night of the event the team from the incredibly successful and influential Guilty Feminist podcast were recording two live podcasts, the first was a focus on the Repeal the 8th vote .  Helen took part in that session and shared her very moving story about discovering that her first child with her husband Graham, had a fatal foetal abnormality.

The second podcast of the evening featured the comedian Rosie Jones.  I got to spend some time with Rosie in the Green Room back stage and as we chatted it struck me that she was a perfect candidate for the WLGYL series on the blog.

For those of you who don't know her, Rosie is a successful comedian, she also has cerebral palsy, she also recently came out as lesbian.

I loved meeting Rosie, we had a really good chuckle about our mutual hate of so called inspiration porn.  She's incredibly funny and if you are going to the Edinburgh Fringe later this summer make sure you go and see her show Fifteen Minutes.  Rosie explains the significance of fifteen minutes in this interview...

When Life Gives You Lemons : Janine Osborne

I have known Janine (aka: Jin, Mrs Bowring, JOB) since the day after she was born!  

My family lived next to her parents in Wales and when her mum brought baby Janine home from the hospital I was one of the first to have a cwtch.  Janine and her sisters Hannah and Caroline are like little cousins to me and while not officially family are definitely part of my welsh family.

Janine's life has had it's ups and downs and I was so happy for her when she met the love of her life, Matt. Diagnosed with a really serious disease that nearly cost her life, Janine fought back, determined not to let it beat her just as her life was going so well.  Beat it she did and while still having regular chemotherapy treatment to keep the symptoms of her rare disease at bay she dedicates her time to helping other people battle through illness while also raising funds and awareness for many charities.  

Only Janine could spend her honeymoon climbing mountains in her wedding dress, such is her determination that her illness will not rob her of the the best years of her life/

Janine on her wedding day, a few days later she was climbing mountains wearing the same dress!

When Life Gives You Lemons: Debs Aspland

When Life Gives You Lemons is my blog series profiling some of the incredible people I have met during my journey.  People who, like me, have faced adversity but refuse to be defined by it.

Next up is Debs Aspland.

I first met Debs very briefly in 2012 when we both attended the Britmums Brilliance in Blogging Awards.  We bumped into each other again a couple of years later when were invited to meet with and give feedback to the Minister of State for Children and Families.  However it was over drinks on the Southbank that I really got to know Debs and recognise her for the kindred spirit and fellow warrior she is.  She definitely shares my rebellious streak and I couldn't wait to ask her to be the subject of an interview for my When Life Gives You Lemons series.