A brief story as to how I got here!...

In August 2019, I was out in America with the plan to go to University out there for 4 years on a full tennis scholarship! After 10 days of being there I developed a blood condition called ITP (there is a very long scientific word for this) which forced me to come back home to seek treatment in the UK. I was in the hospital for 2 months in America, going through lots of different medicine and procedures. I was unable to do ANYTHING - except drown myself in the Vampire Diaries!  

I was lucky enough to be seen at UCLH in London. When I arrived back, I was a state!!! - I would get so nervous to see the doctors and even step foot in the Macmillan Centre, it was a guarantee that I would get upset every time I went there (even when there was good news.) I would be in hospital a good 3-4 times a week for a few months when first coming back because of how unstable I was. Then slowly, but surely, cut down on my visits - fast forwarding all the long treatment days, blood tests, medicine changes and 3 years... I am now at a position where I only need to book an appointment every 3 months (or if I have any bad symptoms) and on constant medicine where I am mostly in a stable position!! What a rollercoaster ride that was, but we made it :) 

The doctors and staff at UCLH have been incredibly supportive and they have helped me live such a normal life which I genuinely didn't think would be possible. They make my hospital experience such a positive one and now something that I don't dread. 

I will be forever grateful for everyone at UCLH for all their hard work they put in every day, for myself, and other patients. I can only image half of what they experience on a day to day. For this, I want to give back to the place that has shaped me for who I am today.

I also want to thank everyone who has been so supportive with my chronic illness, it really does mean a lot. Love to you all x