Highlighting patients and care partners from around the world living positive lives despite the hurdles they face.
These are their stories, in their own words.
About Jill Ross 
By Sandie Briar With ill health comes a newfound strength that gives an insight into the real me. I see things now that need mastering so I can live a half-decent life. I’m 68 years old and have followed my maternal grandmother and mother with osteoarthritis that manifests in our hands and wrists leaving us … Read more>>
By Elizabeth Briggs My experience started when I had a bad cough for months starting in October. After months of antibiotics, chest x-rays, and steroids, my GP asked me if I was aware I had a heart murmur. “All fresh news to me,” I replied with a smile on my face. Little did I know … Read more>>
By Barbara Kelly My name is Barbara, I have been married to Richard for 40 years; he is my rock. Having lived on the North Shore of Long Island, we retired to coastal South Carolina in 2009 without a plan, not knowing a soul in town. Never big on planning for the future, we are … Read more>>
By Marina Stock This is my second weight loss journey. Twenty years ago I lost more than 100 pounds in 13 months with a slimming club. I even won an award! I also started running, beginning with the Race for Life, a 5K run, and working up to the Cardiff Marathon (42K). I stopped running … Read more>>
By Hazel Jameson Editor’s Note: In this blog post, Hazel Jameson shares her story of being diagnosed with kidney cancer and overcoming her fear to proceed with the surgery needed to save her life. Kidney cancer is the seventh most common cancer in the UK with 36 new cases being diagnosed every day, according to Cancer … Read more>>
By Bernadette Sweeney I suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD). I was born four weeks early and was intubated as my lungs were not fully developed. I had pneumonia at a year old and as a young child, I suffered from recurrent ear infections. I was treated as an asthmatic as a child, but … Read more>>
By Zora Majeed I remember when my symptoms started – it was 2005 and I was in my mid 20s, when out of the blue I began experiencing fatigue, joint problems, and abdominal pain/digestive issues. This was accompanied by an intermittent feeling of numbness down the right side of my body with a sense of … Read more>>
By Wendy Wolstencroft It was June 2017. I felt totally well. I had been to the gym and was driving to see a friend. I suddenly came to in the car and felt incredibly dizzy, couldn’t see properly, and vomited several times. I was drifting in and out of consciousness. Luckily for me our neighbours … Read more>>
By Jim Elston I was born in 1960 in London and now live on the Isle of Wight, located off England’s south coast, with my partner and best friend, Ruby. A combination of lifestyle choices, smoking, drinking, late nights playing with my band, and holding down a “real” job meant that something had to give … Read more>>
By Lesley Booth In this month’s blog post, Lesley Booth shares her story of being diagnosed with and treated for lung cancer. She credits HealthUnlocked’s Quit Support online community for helping her through the many challenges she faced. On April 5, 2012, I turned 63. The week before I got a terrible chest infection, which made me … Read more>>