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Laura's Bladder Health Campaign 2020

MEET LAURA, 25, from Camden, London: a quiet, private individual who was forced to withdraw from her training as an NHS nursing assistant due to her failing bladder. She's had a really tough 2019 with the death of a relative, the pain of a poorly bladder and the stigma of a tube coming out of her belly. This is 'L's story and her ongoing battle with 'Cathy' (her catheter).
LAURA'S STORY - A Difficult 2019
It all started last summer when L’s bladder suddenly stopped working out of the blue.
Laura (or 'L') was no longer able to pee naturally despite her body wanting to. She was fitted with a suprapubic catheter (SPC); a tube that collects urine into a bag on her leg via a hole in her abdomen. This was designed as a temporary solution (max. 12 weeks), but complications lead to L still wrestling with ‘Cathy’ eighteen months later. Today, chronic pain, recurring infections, and her SPC accidentally dislodging out of her bladder whilst doing basic activities result in frequent trips to A&E.

Despite all this, L continues to put on a brave face for her family and friends - ignoring her own discomfort to help care for others. In April, she voluntarily quit her desk job so she could be available to help care for her dying grandad. For four months, she would sit by his bedside holding his hand; giving up her weekends to keep him company. She also wanted to make sure her nan (who had been married to him for 59 years) would never feel alone. To L, her grandfather was her absolute world.

In August 2019, L’s grandad passed away. Despite her grief, L was determined to try and remain positive. She applied to become a trainee nursing assistant for the NHS. After a long application process, she was accepted to study the apprenticeship at LSBU. Things started looking up. She was happy writing, photographing and being creative again. All was well! She had her dream job lined up and she was finally entering nursing; something she had always wanted to do from a very young age. Yay! She was learning to live life to the full again.

Except that didn’t last long.

It was a false alarm. Just as she was about to start her new job; she collapsed and was back in hospital. Again. Yet another infection was diagnosed and pain management was administered to help her chronic daily pain. By this point, she was fed up, weakened and beyond exhausted. She still had no ability to pee unaided. No release at all. She still had no official diagnosis or treatment plan in place that could give her hope for the future going forward. She would describe the pain as “nauseating” and secretly confesses that she only permits herself to cry when alone in the privacy of her room.

WHAT'S HAPPENING?
As it stands, L is waiting for her next appointment in February 2020. Little is known. Different doctors and teams continue to assess and reassess her in order to try and come to some conclusive diagnosis. What is known is that her recovery timeline will likely be long and arduous due to the complicated nature of her case. Whilst bladder retention issues are fairly common amongst men, it’s far rarer and less studied amongst women. 

L continues to try her best to keep upbeat under these circumstances; remaining strong and spirited for her family and loved ones. Despite her exhaustion, she is determined to be proactive in her desire to bring awareness and acceptance to others. Hiding her fatigue, she continues to apply and hunt for flexible job opportunities in the hope that a kind employer might one day be able to accommodate her need for reduced hours and time off for hospital assessments and treatment.

WHY HELP L?

L is one of the bravest, most inspirational and resilient young ladies I know. She’s incredibly modest and hates people fussing over her. She dislikes visitors in the hospital - preferring not to be seen whilst in a vulnerable state. She fights to maintain a positive exterior - never once complaining of her pain in person but choosing instead to express what she truly feels through her Instagram Page  - unbeknownst to her family. She refuses to be beaten - either by her situation, by her past or by other people. She’s become immune to commuters and onlookers who frequently gawk at  ‘Cathy’ the catheter bag full of urine strapped around her leg.

Laura has also battled with her own anxiety and PTSD on a daily basis since a teenager. Her past with trauma, alongside a severe phobia of needles means these bladder procedures are incredibly invasive and a horrific ordeal for her. Her past history is not one she would want shared in public - but if you knew it, you’d realise just how remarkable this young lady is.

L champions diversity and accessibility for the unspoken and does everything she can to empower change for those more vulnerable. She has taught herself basic BSL to communicate with those who are hard of hearing, she volunteered for charities working with autistic children and she raised accessibility issues in public spaces through her time working at the British Library.

WHY YOU SHOULD DONATE - (EVEN IF ITS A WEE BIT)
Originally, when we’d set up this campaign, we wanted to crowdfund so that L could receive private treatment. When I asked L herself if she’d be okay with us telling her story and sharing her photos, she refused to take any money for herself. She doesn’t want it. Instead, she wants every single penny raised to go to charity; saying that nothing would brighten her Christmas or 2020 more than being able to use her difficult 2019 story as a means to raise money for her nominated charity: Bladder Health UK .

Bladder Health UK  is the largest bladder patient support charity in Great Britain providing advice and support to those suffering from various bladder conditions. It is L’s biggest hope that her story will help inspire others who also suffer from chronic bladder conditions to reach out and fight the stigma attached to it. L wants to remind others like her that they are not alone and it’s okay to talk. That despite the pain, stares, and discomfort; there is still hope for the future as bladder research and patient support gets better. It just takes a wee bit of courage.

Please help us make L’s 2020 wish come true by raising £2020+ for Bladder Health UK. 

Please show this brave, kind young lady as much support and love as you can muster. Donate here, follow her Instagram, and please spread this campaign as far and wide as you can. We know she’d really appreciate it. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH. <3 xx

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L’s INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/haveyoumetdearcathy/ 

#haveyoumetdearcathy #catheterlife #catheter #bladder #bladderawareness #urology

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Bladder Health UK Is A Registered UK Charity: 1149973. For more info about Bladder Health UK, visit: https://bladderhealthuk.org/

Fundraising team (2)

Laura Piercey
Organizer
BLADDER HEALTH UK
 
Registered nonprofit
Donations eligible for Gift Aid.
Laura Piercey
Team member

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