Hello fellow Steemians!

mariebellehelene (38)in #introduction • 7 years ago

Hello Steemit! Marie-Belle here, and in my first blog post here I will just introduce myself so as you know what to expect from me.

I was born and raised in County Down and Country Antrim, in the strange little place called Northern Ireland/North of Ireland/Ulster/the six counties. I'm not fussed what you call it. I attended both non-integrated and integrated schools whilst I was there and so the Northern Irish peace process is somewhat drilled into me from various different angles. Back 'home' I am considered a ceasefire baby, this just means that I was born in the 1990's, whenever ceasefires took place and the Good Friday Agreement was made. I studied Art and Design for a time whilst living there and was also accepted to study a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration, but dropped out after a year and a semester, due to depression and wanderlust.

I found myself living in the beautiful country of Wales in the beginning of 2016. The place that I once only knew from stories by the amazing writer, Dylan Thomas was now my home. I found it easy to get work. You see, people love us leprechauns, don't they? So I was working in a bar and it was then I realized that I had Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, Hypermobility type. This was evident in my flexibility for a long time, and I had always known that my elder brother was hypermobile, but it was not until after I had a lengthy grand-mal seizure on a strangely quiet bank holiday, during an overstaffed shift, did I realize the seriousness of it. My shoulder got really messed up from all the writhing and flailing and since this was not my first seizure, I was put on medication for it, which turned me into a right zombie. Finally, nearly two years on, I have been given physiotherapy appointments. The long wait, for those of you outside the UK, is due to the ongoing stress on the National Health Service from our current government, which in my opinion is more like a dictatorship than anything else. Living with EDS and Epilepsy (and all the other co-morbidities which tag along ) is never easy, but I have found a lot of hope and it is here that I will share my tips, tricks, advice and experience in order to help my kind.

Life in the UK is extremely hard for many people, even those who are able-bodied, what to mention the long list of disabled people who have been declined a basic income. Capita and the Department for Work and Pensions are to blame, however, I think it's best to step outside of that system and refrain from giving them the satisfaction. I've got no time to waste.

On the upside:

I was given about $5 worth of BTC back in 2014 and forgot about it, seeing now what it is worth, without me having done anything I feel so content and as though with using crypto-currencies I can gain a lot of independence back and never go back to working for/below people, but rather, work with people.

I hope you all enjoy my posts and I look forward to contributing to such a brilliant platform.

#eds #epilepsy #crypto #positivity

7 years ago in #introduction by mariebellehelene (38)

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aprilangel (64) 7 years ago

This was a lovely introduction. I lived in Belfast for two years and volunteered full time with NICHS! Small steemit-world. I found it difficult to live there (depression starting out), partly due to the lack of sunshine but also because I was only 21 and hadn't confronted any of my childhood conditioning. By the end of two years I was able to enjoy it and to this day I have fondness in my heart and would love to visit again. I'd give my left arm for a cheesy, curry chip. ;)

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mariebellehelene (38) 7 years ago

Thanks @aprilangel. What a small world indeed. NICHS is just down the road from where I used to live. I haven't much energy or desire to return and won't be heading to see family for Christmas, but I know I'll head back at some point. Maybe I'll see you there one day for a cheesy chip! ;)