This is how I roll.
Adjusting to life with a disability can be difficult because most people tend to take their health for granted… until it’s gone!
It is easy to focus on what you have lost, but you can’t go back and change the past, nor should you spend your time wishing away your limits; you can change how you think about your disability and choose ways to build a meaningful life!
“Life has a way of throwing us the odd curveball … moments we never planned for, never invited, and often cannot control. These events can disrupt routines, challenge our assumptions, and force us to adapt faster than feels acceptable. We can meet disruption with resilience, curiosity, or calm defiance. We can rebuild, rethink, or simply breathe until the storm passes, but our values, our objectives, and our direction become our anchor when everything else shifts!“
my life so far…
carbon monoxide poisoning
It was an unusually bitter night, prompting Mum to shut the top windows – she normally left ajar – to keep out the chill. A quiet danger unfolded: the flue on the kitchen Aga was blocked, trapping toxic fumes inside. As we slept, odorless carbon monoxide crept through the house. I lost consciousness without warning, surviving only because Dad found me and acted instantly. A simple, routine decision had quietly become the fragile line between life and death.
car crash #1
The vehicle rolled over several times before coming to a sudden stop. The screech of scraping metal gave way to the strong smell of leaking petrol. Fortunately no-one was knocked out. As my workmates fled to safety,I crawled out last, Driven by sheer survival instinct, I ran toward them. Those crucial extra seconds proved to be the exact difference between escaping unharmed and burning alive.Seconds later, the vehicle exploded into a massive fireball, radiating intense heat.
car crash #2
Stationary in traffic,waiting to go through the Blackwall Tunnel, when an out-of-control lorry smashed through the central barrier into my driver’s side. The violence was instantaneous, tearing through metal and nearly severing my right arm at the elbow. One moment was ordinary stillness; the next was chaos, blood, and sheer disbelief. With zero time to brace or react, that sudden impact proved that safety in the queue was merely an illusion.
heart attack
Cutting the grass on an ordinary day, an unexpected heart attack struck. Feeling unwell, I went inside for water as sharp chest pain rapidly mounted, prompting my wife to call 999. I was incredibly fortunate: the attending paramedics were among the few licensed to administer a vital clot-busting drug, treating a total left-ventricle blockage. Circumstance, precise timing, and the right medical response arriving at the exact moment truly made all the difference.
mS diagnosis
A small limp, fading balance, and slower thoughts grew into symptoms I could no longer ignore. My doctor suspected MS and sent me to a neurologist, whose tests led to a specialist neurosurgeon, Mr Nicholas. Three MRIs and a lumbar puncture later, the diagnosis was confirmed. Each step widened the horizon of what I faced, turning a minor limp into a reality that completely reshaped my body and the future I had envisioned.
diabetes diagnosis
It crept up quietly: unusual thirst, frequent trips to the loo, and persistent fatigue that rest couldn’t shake. I blamed age and stress, carrying on as normal until a doctor’s visit led to blood tests. The diagnosis was Type 2 diabetes. It took time to sink in, bringing a new vocabulary of blood sugar, diet, and medication. A routine check-up quietly became another turning point, altering the future I had once imagined.
Why is there so much suffering in the world?
Have you ever had one of those years where it feels like as soon as one problem ends, another hits? When bad things keep happening, it is natural to ask, “Why me?” Many people end up believing it is a direct punishment from God for something they did wrong—indeed, many religions actually teach this as fact, that God is punishing you!
However, the real explanation lies deep in history, back to the very first human couple, Adam and Eve.
God placed them in a beautiful garden and gave them a simple instruction. He told them they could eat from any tree in the garden, apart from one tree in the middle. God clearly warned them that in the day they ate from it, they would positively die. He set that boundary to protect them and give them a happy, safe life.
So, what did Satan say to Eve to undo all of that? He showed up as a serpent and twisted God’s words, asking: “Did God really say you must not eat from the tree in the middle, or you will die?” When Eve repeated the warning, Satan directly lied to her: “You certainly will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan convinced her that God was holding back something good, prompting Adam and Eve to ignore God’s instructions and “go it alone”. The suffering we see today isn’t God punishing you personally—it is the direct result of living in a world shaped by that original choice to reject God’s guidance.