I am doing a sponsored WingWalk in memory of my sister, Baa, who I lost in 2021. All donations will go to The Oasis Project who help women that struggle with alcohol and drug addiction and offer support to children and families affected. 

I also want to spread awareness of Toxicity, which is brought on when the liver is unable to process numerous drugs, such as anti-depressants and pain medications.The dangers of this were never mentioned to my sister and to this day Toxicity is still not tested for in alcoholics and sadly, was the cause of death of my sister. 

Please help me spread awareness and donate to the amazing Oasis Project who went above and beyond for my sister.

Baa's Story:

To people, she was Rebeckah, Reb, Lil, but to me and my brother she was Baa. She was our sister but also so much more. She was a parent, a friend and a fierce protector. She was loud, funny, highly opinionated and vibrant beyond belief. 

But she was also alcohol dependent.

Baa was alcohol dependent for many years and struggled hugely with depression and had been prescribed anti - depressants, one of them being Venlafaxine. Very often mental health problems walk hand in hand with alcohol dependence and soon she swapped wine for vodka.

As the alcohol took hold and her mental heath spiralled ever lower, her behaviour was never predictable. Her family and friends who stood by and watched helplessly, knew that this path was a lonely one and that her erratic behaviour was destined to drive a gap between them. 

In 2021, Baa was admitted to hospital numerous times with heart palpitations, dizziness and vertigo. She also complained about blurred vision and felt confused most of the time. All these symptoms were put down to her alcohol addiction and never considered to be something else. 

Unfortunately, this "something else" was Venlafaxine Toxicity but my sister was just labeled as being an alcoholic.

Baa was never given a blood test for Toxicity. No-one ever thought to check if her liver, already damaged by alcohol, could process the anti-depressants she took every day. 

The only health professional in Baa's case who was knowledgable about the dangers of Toxicity was sadly the toxicologist involved in her post mortem.  

My sister was sober the night she died.

It is my and my family's aim to make Toxicity, in all its kinds, known to as many people, doctors, Mental Health practitioners and alcohol key workers as possible to prevent this from happening again. 

In the words of Benjamin Franklin;

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound in cure.