On Stage at PTTOW

Being on stage at the PTTOW! Summit was one of the hardest things I have done. The audience was so incredibly impressive, but it wasn't that. The weather was beautiful, almost too warm, but it wasn't that. Despite being on stage more times than I can count, it still always makes me crazy nervous, but it wasn't that. It was because I shared a very personal story, my story, about being the mum of a daughter with significant health challenges, our Sophie, and how the sense of time plays tricks with us.

How long is 6 hours? Well it depends on whether you are with your most fabulous friends for dinner and it feels like minutes, or when it is waiting for the heart surgeon who just spent 6 hours working on your daughter's heart to come out, and tell you whether she is ok.

For most of my life, I was what my best friend called "painfully private", I used to keep all of my experiences to myself, even my best friend found it hard to drag them out of me. And so it was a very big day to walk on a main stage and share in this way, and Im so grateful for how much warmth and support came from everyone in the PTTOW community, and the many who regularly check in with me about Sophie - and also me - since.

The lesson for me? We're all human, and sharing our stories helps others feel confident in sharing theirs too. And Ive learned so much about myself, and about others, in doing so.