In 2016, just after my 51st birthday, I began to notice I wasn’t as agile as I used to be. This continued for the next few months and then one morning I woke up and I couldn’t walk. My leg was so swollen, yet I couldn’t feel it. All I could feel was a pain in my back, it was excruciating. After countless visits to the doctors, I was finally diagnosed with a spinal condition. It is manageable but I have to be extremely careful.
My background is in fashion. I loved it. I've spent 25 years in the industry. My job was very active and people orientated. However, with my condition, I have not been able to work for the past four years. As a result, I was unable to keep up with my rental payments. I've been sofa-surfing for a number of years but at my age and state of health, this is not the easiest to maintain.
The first step for me is to get into a secure home. This way I can begin to rebuild myself physically and mentally. Next, I want to get back to work. While I can not return to the previous role, I've developed a lot of customer-based skills that I would like to use moving forward. I want to brush up on my IT skills and find a position which will be accommodating of my physical needs.
In a few years time, I want to be settled in my own space and working on my ultimate passion which is to launch a fashion e-commerce business. Fashion will always be a part of me and I hope to share this with others.