It’s certainly been an unusual start to the academic year for me.  Some of you may know that I had an accident at the end of August which I have been recovering from over the past few weeks. A serious fall resulted in me breaking some ribs, a major bang to the head and an impressive black eye. A helicopter took me to Southmead Hospital where I was given an MRI scan and it was discovered that I’ve suffered two further strokes over the past few months. I was put in a ward with a number of elderly folk, also stroke sufferers, and began a few weeks of examinations and a slow recovery. In total I spent 5 weeks in hospital and have now had time at home where I’ve had to be very patient and only do a very small amount of work.

Last week however was a big moment. I did my first big trip to a school where I delivered my first presentation in a long time. It was good to be back!  Since then I have had two days on board the I Can & I Am bus and I now have one or two school presentations booked every week for the remainder of this term.

If I think back to 2012, the year of my brain surgery, I’m reminded of how I came out of hospital and was so keen to move forward and make progress more quickly than I was able. This lead to so many frustrations. This time, I have learnt the value of patience.  I understand now that listening to medical advice, respecting how important my doctors’ knowledge is and following their guidance is what I must do.  I am doing what I’m told and, as I have been learning over the last 12 years, small steps really do make progress!