Your real-life stories

Jo has lived experience of mental health conditions and helped shape our decisions about which suicide and self-harm research fellowships to fund. Here, she reflects on what made the experience meaningful.

In Kenya’s coastal region of Kilifi, rising temperatures are making life increasingly difficult for expectant and new mothers just like Janet. A mother of five, she is one of many who are battling with rising temperatures due to climate change.

After experiencing extremely painful periods throughout her teenage years, Emma, 24, shares her journey with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain.

Because of osteoporosis, Stephen was forced to give up work, and still struggled to get a diagnosis – despite suffering agonising pain. With earlier assessment and treatment, Stephen might have been able to stay fit and active into his 70s.

Abbie's identical twin girls were born prematurely at 27 weeks and five days - they each weighed about a pound. For the next five months, they were in neonatal intensive care, undergoing numerous painful medical procedures.

Emily is one of many young people who have had to endure immense challenges as an Autistic person undergoing traditional eating disorder treatment. Now her experience is helping to reshape care for others.

Maya, 17, has lived with anorexia throughout her teenage years, after being diagnosed at age 13. Now she wants more people to understand what it was like for her.

Like all of us, Rebecca, 24, spends a lot of time on her phone – around seven hours a day, including two to three hours on social media. Her experience is helping researchers understand the effects of digital technology on our mental health, both positive and negative.

At first glance, Akshay seems like any other sporty, sociable teenager. But managing severe eczema has been extremely challenging – both physically and emotionally. Now, by taking part in research, he’s ensuring other teens don’t have to suffer like he did.

After a year of chemotherapy and a limb-salvage surgery for bone cancer, Laurence Whiteley MBE was just 14 and learning to walk again. He now lives with a permanent disability and chronic pain.

Katie has lived with chronic pain for over 12 years. She has De Quervain’s Tenosynovitis - a condition caused by inflammation of the tendons in the wrist.

Five years after being treated for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 13, Callum still lives with chronic pain, fatigue, and mental health challenges.

During his treatment for cystic fibrosis, eight-year-old Luke contracted an antibiotic-resistant infection called Burkholderia cepacia (BC) in his lungs. Luke’s mother, Juliet, partnered with Story Bug, a Foundation-funded project, to tell Luke’s story and the impact his condition had on their family.

Helen Shaddock is an artist whose work is centred around her experience of living with eating distress, OCD and autism. She discusses her creative outlets during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as her involvement in the Foundation-funded RHED-C project, which addresses the challenges of remote healthcare for people with an eating disorder.

During her three-year intensive treatment for bowel cancer, 31-year-old Laila Hudson developed an antibiotic-resistant infection. Laila collaborated with Story Bug, a Foundation-funded project, that helps people to share their experiences of antimicrobial resistance.

Andrea Colvile was just 40 years old when she tragically passed away from autoimmune hepatitis. Her husband, Robert Colvile, tells us about their story and his determination to ensure her legacy helps others affected by this condition.