This is a little about our story and why we are raising money for Samaritans:

Charlotte and I met at Springfield University Hospital at the beginning of September 2023 when we were both going through an extremely tough time. Though we are 14 years apart, we immediately bonded over being neurodivergent and our shared frustration towards the way the NHS services have/are treating us; amongst other things of course!

We both went on to spend the month in wards. In my case both in Springfield and St George's Hospital. The care we received was simply shocking. To bring to light some of the things we faced:

-Ignored/lack of empathy from staff

-Staff unaware of learning disabilities, neurodivergence or physical health issues

-No support for learning disabilities/neurodivergence

-Neglect

-Little to no psychological support

-Failure to consider sensory needs

And so much more.

It is said that around 70-80% of autistic people have co-occurring mental health conditions and 66% have considered taking their own life. Physical health co-morbidities are also very common. You can imagine that with these statistics, a lot of people in psychiatric wards are in fact neurodivergent.

A hospital is a tricky and stressful environment for anyone. For autistic people who struggle with things like sensory overstimulation, communication difficulties and emotional dysregulation it is potentially one of the worst places we can be. Yet, there is no support. I was told that I didn't qualify for support at every hospital I was at and at St George's to qualify for support you must have an IQ below 70. This completely disregards that many autistic people have high IQs however, it doesn't mean that we don't struggle in other areas.

All of this frustration towards the way we and many others are treated can make you want to completely give up. And, so we came up with a saying 'Fuelled by Spite'. Use all this frustration to keep going and to make change.

We have decided to raise money for Samaritans because, although the mental health services may let us down repeatedly, Samaritans is always there to offer someone to talk to.

Charities like Samaritans are so important in a world where access to support isn't always accessible or available. Everyone needs someone to talk to sometimes and Samaritans are there 24/7.

We will be walking up Sugar Loaf in Dublin, Ireland for my birthday! Dublin is a place that means a lot to me and planning this trip gave us both hope in such a dark time. There is nothing I need/want more for my birthday than to give back to Samaritas so please help us out by donating as much or a little as you want/can!