Dear Mums & Dads!
The past 18+ months, since March 2023, have seen me lead a very different life to normal as I have been battling long Covid. For the majority of 2023, I was out of action and really struggling with daily activites. I also had endless appointments in hospitals with doctors of different areas of specialism. The start of this year was the same, but at some point during early spring there was a positive shift in how my conditionwas affecting me, and I am now in very good physical condition.
I even managed to take part in something quite crazy and super intense during the first weekend of July: The Three Peaks Challenge.
For those of you who don’t know about it (and I didn’t know anything about it until I signed up for it and in all honesty, I still didn’t really realise just how crazy it – and I! – was until I was doing it), it is a challenge to climb the three highest mountains in Scotland (Ben Nevis), in England (Scafell Pike in the Lake District) and in Wales (Snowdon) in 24 hours. I managed to do it in just under 24 hours and still struggle to comprehend I actually did it. It is such an intense experience it is a complete blur. I shared my journey on Instagram and for anyone interested in knowing more about why I did it, please click HERE.
During August 2024, I spent a week hiking in the Swiss Alps with my family and loved it. Despite having done The Three Peaks not many weeks before that I was still amazed that I was able to do it and that I felt better as the week went on.
I still haven’t recovered from long Covid and am battling with vestibular issues which affect my vision, balance and other things. Long Covid fatigue and brain fog are also difficult to deal with, but through all the doctors I have seen and my ongoing appointments with the NHS long Covid clinic I am getting more and more tools in my toolbox and have become an expert in how the condition is affecting me so that I am able to manage it better. That doesn’t mean it is easy to deal with, but at least I am starting to be able to physically lead a much more normal life which is incredible. I don’t take any of it for granted though and try to find joy when I am feeling well. Sometimes photos can capture something differently from writing and therefore I have shared some of my long Covid journey on Instagram which you can see it by clicking HERE if you would like to understand it better.
This academic year will be quite a big one for my family with my daughter doing her GCSEs and my son doing his 11+ exams. Of course my daughter’s GCSE mocks take place exactly when my son’s 11+ journey starts. I am feeling pretty zen about it; after all, what’s the point about stressing about it? My children will prepare to the best of their ability and then we will see what happens. I will keep you updated as we go along.
This term’s coffee mornings will start a bit later this September and I am looking forward to not just seeing many of you, but also to learn from all of our expert speakers we have in store for you. Please check the NW8-mums’ website for the schedule by clicking HERE. The website is updated as soon as new speakers are confirmed.
There will be changes ahead in that the WhatsApp groups are growing at a pace which is absolutely incredible, but the flip side is that with so many groups and thousands of parents on them it is no longer feasible to have them run free of charge. From later on this autum 2024 there will be an annual fee of £10 to join or remain in the WhatsApp group/s or you can get a loyalty card (£30/year) which includes access to all the WhatsApp groups. The pure support groups will remain free of charge. Zehra, business director, and I are working out the logistics behind the scenes and preparing everything, and once it is all ready to go this change will be applied gradually.
For now though, I wish you a wonderful rest of the week and look forward to seeing you at one of our events this autumn.
Karin x
