Take a Break- a good title for broken bones!

Last November 2015 I was featured in Take a Break magazine telling my story of multiple fractures in 2011/2012 and the subsequent diagnosis of Osteoporosis at aged just 35, following summiting Kilimanjaro to raise money for Prostrate cancer, which my father had been diagnosed with earlier that year and was taking on full force.

It wasn't lost on me the irony of being featured in Take a break, but I was so excited given that the readership of this publication is the largest weekly magazine in the UK (100K)

Only a month later I was representing the National Osteoporosis Society at the Houses of Parliament as a Patient Champion, speaking to MPs and heightening awareness - as a younger person facing an 'old persons' disease, and something that most of the population have no real understanding of nor the realisation that in fact that it can affect all ages; whether what what was known as rickets once upon a time in kids, eating disorders culminating in brittle bone disease (yes thats another name) or an old lady falling and breaking her hip! Yes - it is relatively uncommon in a middle aged person, but not as uncommon as you might think. I got mine due to an auto immune condition, mixed with using the contraceptive drug DEPO PROVERA (contraceptive injection) which acted as the core catalyst in draining my bones of all calcium and hence strength.

I have and an amazing response to this article, both from family, friends and across social media, not least because I have taken a positive approach, researched, learnt, adapted and not least not taken my diagnosis as the end.........

I was indeed told that my life was over at 35! I was told I was humpty dumpty. I was told that it was unlikely Id ever hug! horse ride, ski, take part in most sporting activity as it was all simply to dangerous. I was told child bearing would be an issue and unsafe, I was effectively told that everything that I had as a 35 year old in my life was no longer possible - but this was said to someone who had recovered from a knee injury and climbed Kilimanjaro in the same 6 month period (another example of my defiance to being told I can no longer do something - I would find a way!)

I wrote a blog though out my journey, my research, the challenges I faced, the lessons I learnt though out and the true peaks and troughs that any of lifes lessons hand us when faced with a difficult, painful, scary or challenging situation.

Read it here at: http://girls-adventure.blogspot.co.uk

(resource for supplements, activity, exercise, diet, approach, mindfulness and general information on the disease as well as a bunch of the stuff I learnt, grappled with along the way - I hope some of it may be helpful.......

.........and to finish - a small pic of me talking to The Baroness Cumberlege CBE in the House of Parliament with the NOS.