About Me
I spent the first eleven years of my life living in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire. Then in 1990, I moved to America with my family; resulting in what was to become a life-long interest in travel. In the three years that I lived in North Canton, I adjusted to the American way of life, visiting the vast majority of states and capital cities. The whole experience considerably broadened my horizons. Overall, it gave me the confidence to enjoy visiting foreign places and cope with many unpredictable situations.
Upon returning to England, I had to work extremely hard to catch up with my studies. The significant differences between the English and American education systems resulted in me undertaking a workload equivalent to almost double that of my fellow GCSE students. During this busy period, I also found the time to perform in the Wellingborough Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society's production of Guys and Dolls and completed several outdoor activity courses. These included caving, rock climbing, abseiling, canoeing and other similar team building pursuits. I then took my A-Levels in a slightly more normal manner (!) and won my school's final year A-Level Art prize.
Upon receiving my A-Level results, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the prestigious Engineering Department at Sheffield University. I studied Mechanical Engineering for four years; an experience that considerably improved my ability to work both alone and within a team to meet stringent deadlines. In my first year of study I became the elected 'Course Representative.' This post provided me with the invaluable experience of attending meetings, and effectively communicating and negotiating with my superiors.
During my time at University, I was given the opportunity to DJ at 'Corporation', a nightclub in Sheffield City Centre. To my delight, I was offered a permanent position on Saturday nights - and that was after my very first session! This progressed on to being offered guest slots at other venues around the country. I was later invited to be on the panel of judges at a talent competition for local bands.
After leaving University, I worked as a Sales Executive for Special Quality Alloys, a steel stockist in Sheffield. They were exceptional employers who gave me comprehensive training in both Metallurgy and the steel industry in general. After 18 months of employment, my manager offered me the chance to travel to Germany to visit one of our steel suppliers and to attend the Achema Exhibition in Frankfurt. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and all the challenges that it presented.
My work colleagues and peers at Special Quality Alloys all supported me when I decided to take part in an event to raise money for Marie Curie cancer care. I abseiled down the east facing wall of the Sheffield City Centre Library on what must have been one of the windiest days on record! The event itself raised over £1000 and, with my employers' help, I contributed over £140 towards that total.
Sadly in October 2003, I was struck down by a debilitating and seemingly mysterious illness. After six months, my consultant diagnosed M.E. and told me that there was little that they could do to aid recovery. The severity of the illness progressed until I was rendered completely bed-bound. That lasted for almost a year. At just 24 years old, I was completely devastated.
However after those dark days, my health improved sufficiently to allow me to volunteer with the Sheffield M.E. Group. They are a charity that helped me a great deal throughout my illness. I have written many articles for their newsletter and recently used my web design skills to rebuild their website. I served as a Trustee of the Charity for four years, helping them to make decisions on the running of the Charity.
In 2007, I had an article published in the nationally distributed 'Interaction' magazine. I am very proud of this achievement. Printed by a large charity called Action for M.E., this magazine offers support and information to people affected by the illness. The article is centred on my experience of M.E. and the steps that I had taken to try to improve my situation. If you would like to view my article, please click on one of the links below:
During the time when I was at my worst, I was admitted to hospital twice - for a month each time. Sadly, I experienced appalling mistreatment; largely due the staff's ignorance of the affects of M.E. As a result of this, I became actively involved in the dissemination of information about the illness; particularly to professionals who may come into contact with M.E. sufferers. To date, I have given two presentations to Sheffield Social Services employees, educating them about the illness and the type of help that a sufferer needs. I have also successfully campaigned for the generation and inclusion of Nursing Guidelines for patients with M.E. This is now available to medical staff on the intranet that serves all Sheffield hospitals and is in the process of being distributed nationally. The document itself, details the correct care of M.E. patients and I hope that it will prevent a re-occurrence of my terrible experiences.
Througout my recovery, I have studied for a few hours per week with the Open University. So far, I have achieved a Certificate in IT and Computing and have almost completed a Certificate in Web Applications Development. I am now in the process of setting-up my own web design company (called Perceptive Designs) to fulfil my lifelong goal of working for myself. Ironically, I do not feel that I would have had this opportunity without contracting M.E.