Some people might know that last year I had a mental illness called Chronic Pain Syndrome for 6 months.  I was wheelchair bound for 3 months and I had pain in every single joint. It was hard to move without crying or screaming, I thought that this was it for the rest of my life. Many people dont know, but I was suicidal. Half my time I was in the hospital either having scans or with needles in my arms taking blood and doctors telling me that I was lying to get some attention, and I started to believe it myself. I managed to get hold of a wheelchair on loan from the British Red Cross. I noticed that people started treating me differently like trying to help me open doors and calling me ‘sweetie’ and they started wheeling me around everywhere without my permission to do so. I didnt like it because before my illness no one did any of those things to and for me. People looked down on me and took pity on me, I hated every single moment of it.

I finally got referred to a hospital in London, called Great Ormond Street Hospital which specialises in children.  Within half an hour of me being looked at and moved around, the doctors knew what was wrong with me. With my very supportive family it took 8 weeks to recover from CPS. It was hard and tiring but finally I got better.

When I got back to school I had to work extremely hard to catch up on the work I had missed, but I did and I made my end of year targets and a bit above. Through out this illness I learned many lessons, lessons that have made me stronger in so many different ways.  I learned that you have to stay strong and believe that even though your in this position, you can still enjoy life. I learned that you have to make each day count because you never know whats going to happen next.  I feel lucky that today Im not living in the wheel chair; I’m very much healthy.  I feel very grateful of where I am today: happy, healthy and enjoying life to the maximum.

~Emma Sophie Louise.