ABANDONED

I have spent much time over the last few years with disabled and severely disabled people and ALL, without exception, complained about getting less support for well known and not so well known conditions that have been around for years compared to anyone with Cancer. Whilst I am not trying to belittle the illness as, to most people, a short term terminal diagnosis is the worst that could happen, I and others believe that a long term, slowly life sapping condition is far worse when you are faced with 20, 30 years or more of no support or assistance.

We should all be grateful for any support we get and just wish that, after the standard 5 years of NHS help and assistance, we don't just get forgotten and left to it.

I don't mean to insult anyone but I was diagnosed with a degenerative spinal condition at age 49 and am now 62 and not only has the system stopped supporting me properly but family has too. No one quite knows how to deal with such long term illness especially when there is no real reason why it should not continue for another 2 or 3 decades. I lost the basic ability to walk anything but short distances of a few meters around 5-6 years ago. And yet I am lucky compared to some I have known who have been ill since their teens or since birth and only parent help has kept them going. What happens to them when they lose that support I hate to even guess at. 

Keeping going is down to just slogging through day by day trying not to be forgotten or considered unimportant.

TK