The power of hope

The power of hope

We all need hope. Today marks four weeks since my percutaneous (catheter based) pulmonary valve replacement and I have had many requests for an update on how I am doing. The easy answer is that I am feeling good. After a few rough days initially, it didn’t take long...
Accepting Death : Choosing Life

Accepting Death : Choosing Life

Death. We don’t like to think about it. We certainly don’t like to talk about it. But it is going to happen to the people and things we love. And to us. It is one of life’s few certainties! Buddhist teachings remind us of the sense of impermanence and that nothing...
How I lost my heart to Zwift

How I lost my heart to Zwift

A few weeks ago, I saw an amazing lady posting in a Facebook group about using Zwift as part of her rehab from a traumatic brain injury. I found her story incredibly inspiring, and it made me feel more comfortable about sharing more of my own. For those who do not...
Dear 21-year old me

Dear 21-year old me

Dear 21-year-old me I know you think you have something to prove, but you don’t. Those eyes of judgement which you feel nipping at your soul, they don’t matter. I promise that the heart condition which you were born with is going to become one of the least remarkable...
A ‘hearty’ relationship

A ‘hearty’ relationship

I’ve always asserted that my health challenges have brought more positivity into my life than they have taken away, but I can’t fail to acknowledge the gaping hole under my life resume of success where a significant relationship could be. It has left me wondering what...
Coping with change

Coping with change

I was reading the comments on a post in an open-heart surgery Facebook group earlier this week, relating to how people cope following a dramatic change in their health. It got me thinking about my own approach to my condition, which as much as possible is one of vague...