I'm Emma and I manage the Play and Youth Clubs at White Lodge,
along with Isabel.

Isabel, Rob (Head of Services) and I are all taking part in the Superhero Tri on the 20th August to raise vital funds for White Lodge.  I am the teams Superhero as I have a hidden disability, my disability is OCD.  Having a disability enables me to have an understanding and a connection with the children and teenagers who use our play and youth clubs, in fact I think it's my very own Superpower.  It enables me to look deeper into the child's actions and
needs, in fact I often find I learn a lot from the children in our care.

My journey growing up with OCD wasn't easy, for a long time it
was hidden and I was labelled a shy girl but inside was really struggling with anxiety and rituals which were effecting my everyday life.  When it started to emerge that I had OCD a lot of people didn't take it seriously, often people think everyone has a bit of OCD and it's not a serious disability.  Those people are wrong, OCD is a genetic condition that can take over a person’s life, it can cause anxiety, depression, hallucinations, it can also cause issues with socialising, school and personal relationships. 

School wasn't a happy time for me but eventually I was able to access the right pathway to get the help I needed.  Working with children with disabilities is exactly the right fit for me, I see beneath the outward behaviours to the child beneath.  My ability to see the person underneath is my Superpower.  

Please sponsor me to raise money for White Lodge, who help
children and adults enable their abilities.

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