So you must have read our emails! As you all know, earlier this year I became seriously ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome(GBS). I was supposed to be celebrating my first Mother's Day with Kev and Lyra when I began to feel unwell. I didn't think anything of it as I had been very busy trying to get everything sorted for my return to work after a year's maternity leave. A hectic and tiring time with just a week to go and a new nanny to introduce to Lyra. When I woke up the next morning I felt like I had been hit by a bus, but still put it down to a 'virus' of some kind. I also noticed that my skin seemed to be very sensitive and sensation seemed very strange. I swiftly went down hill and just when I should have been celebrating Lyra's first birthday, I was locked into a strange new world of physical weakness and excrutiating pain. I was very lucky to be referred to a wonderful doctor, my neurologist, Dr Charles Kaplan, who swiftly diagnosed GBS after a series of unpleasant tests (lumbar puncture, 70 minute MRI, lung x-ray, blood tests etc) which ruled out most of the other probable causes of my worsening condition. He admitted me to hospital on the Saturday when I began to experience facial paralysis. This was six days after my first symptom, and the next day I began treatment to try and halt the impact of GBS. You know it's not good when the resident doctor tells you 'you really don't want to know what the worst case scenario is....'
It was during my hospital stay that Kev contacted the Guillain-Barré Syndrome Support Group and they swiftly sent information on this bewildering illness to help us make sense of what was happening to me and my family. They also offered to send a fellow sufferer who had recovered from GBS to talk to me. I never did take that offer up, but just knowing that a fellow survivor was there if I needed them was incredibly reassuring when I was finding it hard to understand what impact this was having on my life, and where we would go from here.
I would just to like to thank all of you who helped us through this very difficult time, both in the hospital and during my long recovery (although according to my neurologist, I have made an amazingly swift comeback).
And you might be wondering why you're on this page. Well, to celebrate my recovery from this life-changing illness Kev and I have decided that instead of buying presents for all of our family (adults only - children will still be getting a visit from Santa), that we would donate the money to support the work of this charity which exists to help people like me and their families to understand and cope with this terrible illness. They also fund cutting edge research into this rare and poorly understood syndrome which only affects about 1 in 100,000 people. I hope that you will enjoy your present from us this year.
We would also like to ask that instead of buying a present for Kev and I, that this year you consider making a donation instead through this fundraising page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. This means that for every pound you donate, the Government will add 28p so it really helps to make your donation go even further. It’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity. What else would you expect from a professional fundraiser?
Merry Christmas everyone!
Lots of love from Tara, Kev and Lyra
xxxxxxx
