So England is out!

Yes, the England Euro 2012 squad got shown the door on Sunday, 24th June, regarding this tournament.



The Italian press are tearing into this team’s defence.

But as I’ve learned in life, you must also be able to deal with failures in order to appreciate what success is.

Nevertheless, credit where it’s due.

Congratulations to Italy in being able to progress to the next stage of Euro 2012.

I’m keeping this brief, as I’m off to drown my sorrows with a tub of Häagen-Dazs Cookies and Cream.

Andria

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WELCOME TO THE MS CLUB JACK OSBOURNE.

That’s one of the best things I can say to you, regarding this illness.

Your eating habits will have to change as you will find certain foods only flare up your condition.

In my case, it’s the humble tomato - tomatoes as it’s stated in the USA.

You will also have to know where the toilet is, wherever you go.

You will also be feeling annoyed that this illness has affected you.

This, I certainly know from my own experience.

You will also wonder, why now?

After living such an adventurous life, you may feel cheated, that it was wrong, considering all the people on this Earth - especially since there are so many unpleasant people out there - it was decided you should have this illness.

I was looking forward to having an ordinary life, which included getting married, having kids and getting a mortgage when I got this illness.

Needless to say, all my previous plans went straight out of the window!

I still remember the anger and bitterness I had when, at the Wembley Job Centre Plus, in north-west London, I screamed down the phone to a true gentleman, who was at the Belfast Benefit Delivery Centre, WHY ME?

He calmly replied: “you’ve got to deal with the cards life has sent you.”

He was right. Considering I called myself Miss Independent, I couldn’t see myself not being able to cook my own meals or being limited in what I can physically do.

I couldn’t think of a day when I couldn’t jog but now I can’t.

I still have a weakness for milk chocolate but because my body no longer allows me to join in other aerobics classes – apart from swimming - I now limit myself to one bar a week.

My friends, who have MS and are in a wheelchair, won’t even touch it.

It’s also tempting to get bitter, as I lost my job thanks to this illness - I can no longer touch type.

I also can’t cook my own meals and have to rely on take-aways or ready-made meals for one person, which I know are not healthy all the time but that’s the way it is for me.

But once you accept your condition, you will then see other opportunities in life and be thankful.

His mum, Sharon Osbourne, got it spot on when she talked about the importance of having a positive outlook in life, regarding multiple sclerosis.

There is no point in worrying over things you simply cannot change.

Considering the things his dad, Ozzy Osbourne has done with his past, it's tempting to think that the medics who diagnosed Jack's condition, got it wrong but that's simply not the case with MS.

So here’s wishing you dignity, happiness and the very best of everything in life, Mr Jack Osbourne.

Light and Peace

Andria.

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PS don’t forget to visit my other site by clicking here.

I like this!

I was touched by what Alex O-C had to say about his role in the England football team.

It’s my belief that if you employ the right people, you can get a brilliant result.

Likewise, if you employ the wrong people, you will run dry.

This interview really says it the best.

Check it out by clicking here.

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I have to admit, like many people in the UK I was upset Mr Rio Ferdinand (Manchester Utd FC) wasn’t included in the England football squad.

Regardless as to who said what, I believe both Rio (being a former England captain) and the Chelsea FC and England skipper John Terry are men enough to call a truce on any grievances between them over Mr Ferdinand’s brother Anton (Queens Park Rangers FC) and realise what’s important here is national pride and achievement.

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Nevertheless, I was happy watching England play against France two days ago.

The result could have been better – let’s face it the French player Nasri, who scored and got the equaliser, got this result due to the sloppy England defence.

But we didn’t get beaten and I’m happy with the 1-1 result.

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Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner!

That I love London town!

In order to avoid any legal action regarding copyright law, I’m happy to say those words are from the musical My Fair Lady. Well city, as the rest of us know London to be.

I’m so proud to see West Ham FC get straight back into the Premier league.

We all know the longer you stay out, the harder it is to get back in this league.

Football clubs like Leeds and Millwall (who were regulated out of top flight football when the Premier league was started in 1991) are clear examples of this.

So when I saw my local club QPR avoiding the drop, I was tickled with happiness!

Looking at the success of Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea winning the Champions League, all of this makes me proud that I live in a city that’s home to so much talent.

Go London!

Andria.

PS, don’t hesitate to check out my over site, by clicking here.

Life-changing power - it's free!

After the elation and joy I had in finally being declared solvent on 02 March this year. I would like to say how sorry I am for attacking others for upsetting me over the years. I also acknowledge that I too have hurt good people in my past.

I’d like to say how sorry I am for losing my cool and not seeing the pain I’ve caused to others, especially when I’ve been caught up in my own anger, which is when I didn’t notice the hurt others were experiencing because of me.

I won’t try and be clever and admit partial responsibility or make stupid excuses by saying others must take some of the blame for my actions.

I’m fully responsible for my actions and that is that.

I’ve been in situations when I was just about to eat a lovely cooked meal when, out of nowhere, a person who’s wronged me pops into my mind.

Just like that, the dinner is ruined before I’ve even started to eat.

That’s how I felt about a certain bank we all see on the high street, who falsely stated I had thousands of pounds stashed away with them in order to get the Debit Relief order (DRO) I was anointed with overturned.

Even after the date of the original DRO had surpassed, which meant they couldn’t bother me on payments included in the DRO (theirs was one of them) this high street bank was still hounding me for money I clearly didn’t have.

So far as this bank was concerned, they ignored the Payment Protection Insurance - PPI - attached to my loan, (for which I had paid extra money for) which was meant to cover me if an illness like Multiple Sclerosis should happen to me, which I now have, for reasons I cannot explain.

I’m big enough to come out and admit when I’ve made a mistake and know that holding onto anger is counter- productive for anyone who wants to live a happy life.

I enjoyed living in a luxury apartment when I called myself (proudly) Miss Independent, with a nice red car to boot.

Now I live with my parents and I have a Freedom Pass to get from A to Z.

When I told my previous landlord about my health, I asked if adaptations could be made to the unit I lived in, which they wouldn’t be paying for.

Within days of making this request, I was given notice to leave the premises immediately.

It felt like a swift kick had been made to my stomach but I’ve since realised this has happened to many who become disabled and once lived in private accommodation.

A few months ago, I wanted to join a private health club which had a heated swimming pool but got the excuses of having to get my doctor to vouch for me being able to swim, which she can’t as she has never been able to see me in water.

Again I had so much anger in me over receiving such treatment, knowing that if I was an able bodied person, this wouldn’t be an issue.

Chances are if, like me, such negative thoughts have crept into your mind, it’s happened to you more than once; when you’re going to bed, having a shower, etc. When this occurs, let’s face it, smiling or admitting to your mistakes is the least thing you want to do.

I’ve decided, there is only two solutions to such a dilemma; forgiveness and being woman enough to admit to my mistakes as without these two qualities, I can assure you, life will be full of bitterness, hatred and misery and that’s coming from experience!

That’s why I’m also saying sorry for all the hurt and pain I’ve caused over the years and accept there was no justification for my actions, no matter what.

The other painful reality, as mentioned earlier, that was causing the most hurt, was the misery I was putting myself through by rehashing such issues I couldn’t get over.

I’d let certain people torture me again and again and again over things I simply couldn’t change.

For years I couldn’t feel any pleasure or peace and believed the only way out of this misery is to make the people who have wronged me feel similar pain and embarrassment.

That’s the importance of forgiveness, as it was only when I did this that all the bitterness and rage flew out of me. I also saw the reasons why those people had done what they did to me and still feel compassion for them.

I haven’t contacted everyone I’ve hurt or who has hurt me – that’s my choice.

If I do my part, that’s okay, the rest is up to others to decide whether to forgive me or not.

I can hear some of you say, “You have no idea what he or she did to me” but the pain you’re carrying is the reason you’ve got to forgive and acknowledge your own mistakes in life.

You’re not saying what’s happened is right but you’re letting go of the hurt, pain and misery.

You’re also telling yourself it’s time to move on.

Sometimes, you need that second, third or fourth chance to move on and I truly hope I’ve been able to do this, for my own piece of mind.

Light and Peace

Andria

PS, don’t hesitate to visit my other site by clicking here! -

I'm on benefits but I'm no scrounger

Not everyone on benefits is a scrounger.

Of course, some abuse the system but there are investigators in the DWP who are catching them.

I have had enough. I am not a scrounger and this is why.

I am in the unenviable position of claiming Disability Living Allowance and Employment Support Allowance because I have Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

There are more than 300 forms of this long-term illness. There is no reason why a person gets MS.

Unfortunately there is no cure.

My body can’t fight off the cold weather any more, which is why rooms I enter in, including cars, have got to be well heated, even in the summer.

The pain in my body is constant. I cannot lift my niece, whose now just under seven years of age.

I cannot jog anymore, which is why I treasure my Race For Life t-shirt which I earned by participating in the one at Wembley Stadium in 2008.

This is also why I value my medal for running in Regent’s Park the year before, for Cancer Research.

When holding a drink in my hand, it’s got to have a lid on top or it must be half full – my sense of balance and co-ordination has gone awry.

I also have to use a walking stick to get by.

The only advantage I now have is in knowing my neighbours no longer tell my parents I’m drunk when they see me walking, which I still do for exercise.

All of these things people take for granted and I realise there must be thousands of people worse off than me.

When I found myself in the position where I had to claim because of MS, I was just as shocked as anyone else and now I’m disgusted at how I’m treated as a benefit claimant.

Try going for a job interview with my condition – I still believe nobody owes anyone a duty to give them a job.

I’ve had more than my fair share of people at first showing interest in me working for them then realising they are ignoring my calls.

Over the phone or by e-mail, I get one of two reactions without fail: “How much disruption is the MS going to cause if you get the job?”

Or the straight-forward one when I’m told: ”You need to be realistic, you’re an insurance liability.”

No matter what you are claiming or why, one is deemed and treated as a scrounging fraud until you prove otherwise.

I am not just talking about the Department for Work and Pensions but also the people I meet everywhere I go, every day.

The look of disgust as you meet someone new and get asked: "What do you do for a living?"

I see the expression on their face when I say I’m not working.

One former colleague, now working at a specialist branch of Reed employment, even said to me: “I’m surprised to see you here as I knew how much you like work".

Working for a living is food for my soul and I felt it justified my existence on this planet.

The same person also remembers I worked three days and nights straight and I did this more than once, as I was proud my body and mind allowed me to do this, so when MS came to me, I just couldn’t understand why.

As a result, I even hated God and wanted nothing to do with the man -yes he had to be one as no woman would do this to me.

I'm glad to say I no longer have this negative feeling and praise Him and his son for the blessings in each and every day.

Until I met up with the members of the Brent Association of Disabled people, who help people who are disabled to have a dignified life, I felt like a freak of nature.

Then when toying around on the Internet, I found out about The Shane Project, which focuses on ethnic people with MS, which finally eased my anger as I was still saying in my head, "why me?".

As far as I was concerned, God had no right in giving me this illness. I was so pleased at being a hard-working member of society.

Thankfully, meeting with members of this group, which introduced me to other people who are Afro-Caribbean with MS, changed this negative feeling.

On average, gas and electric costs £30-£40 a week depending on the season – yes the bills do still come in and they are higher for me as I have to be in an area with heat, as I mentioned earlier - and the reasons why.

Do I have any luxuries? Yes, I have a flat screen TV, bought by my mum a few years ago. Do we have a games console? The answer is no.

What little I have is bought and paid for - as once I've eaten and paid the bills there is never anything left.

Where I live, there is no dog racing track for me to spend my benefit money – Walthamstow in the east of London (I live in the north-west) was closed many years ago.

My budget is so tight that if an emergency crops up, like me being rushed to hospital because I’m passing out again, I have to take an ambulance as there is no other way to get me home from hospital.

I’ve collapsed down the stairs, which is why Brent Rehabilitation Services have installed a stairs banner in my parents home, who I now live with.

This is because I was thrown out of my rented flat when I asked for my landlord's permission to install a similar device - they will deny this, of course but many who used to rent privately when they were able-bodied will tell you a similar story.

When I go food shopping, it is worked out to the absolute penny. There can be no deviation as there is nothing to play with.

Before MS, I used to drive, which included paying road tax, car insurance costs, fuel prices and all the other benefits of having my own transportation – now I have to pay for a cab.

I haven’t been on holiday or even a weekend away for years, whereas I did this at least twice a year when I worked.

Living on benefits is degrading, depressing and there is no room for any luxury of any kind - ever. I wouldn't have had a Christmas dinner last year if it wasn't for my parents.

I spend my spare time helping people who also need help, at the Brent Association of Disabled People. I’ve also helped at the Tokynton church branch of Cricklewood Homeless Concern. I don’t go to the theatre anymore.

Going to the local gym isn’t plain sailing. Unless I arrive when the cleaner is on duty, the floor at the women's changing room at Bridge Park Community Centre is wet and dangerous, which also means my walking stick is ineffective.

I’ve complained about the water and the need for staff to check the changing rooms but nothing gets done.

Even the disabled toilet is used by people wanting to wash out hair dye.

I'm not lazy, so I cannot keep quiet when I read the nonsense being published about benefit claimants.

Yes there are fraudsters out there, I know this first hand as I once worked as an audio typist for a company that has a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) which interviewed benefits cheats and sometimes I had to transcribe the fourth tape on the same person before they admitted there wrongdoing.

So to all those who think I'm a lazy, talentless, fraudulent scrounger, I'll say this. You’ve got to deal with the cards life has sent you.

I didn’t and wouldn’t choose to be disabled – I liked being an active person who seized the day and had full optimum health.

I avoided alcohol and spicy foods. The gym was my second home.

The next time you meet someone who is on Disability Living Allowance, or claiming benefits in some other way, ask yourself if you really are picking on them because they are a nice, easy target.

This isn't living or a lifestyle choice, it is surviving.

Andria

PS, since I do want to work - I assure you I don't bite, I just have MS - please don’t hesitate to view my other site by clicking here.

So now it’s Health and Safety.

It’s important to read and hear why I feel Mr Cameron is wrong to cut back on this country’s health and safety legislation.

One place I worked at not only failed this regarding a work experience student under the age of 18 years, it failed in this directive for everyone working in this company.

It also failed its legal responsibility to its employees by failing to provide a pension plan and to send us for an eye test every six months - it will soon become clear to me why this is important.

The same went for another employer I once worked as an audio typist, who (and probably still does) have a contract with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

They failed to forward any of us for an eye test (I was an audio typist) but made plans to terminate my employment with them when my typing speed went down.

Three months after I left, through my own initiative, I went for an eye test, which my former employers were legally compelled to do but didn't.

The result? The hospital I attended found out I had the early stages of Multiple Sclerosis. My first attack probably happened at a previous place I worked that also failed to send me for a statutory eye test - in both jobs I was working with computors.

When my former bank, who I can't name for legal reasons, wrote to my former employers about me, they didn’t get a reply.

When they wrote to their parent company about me, they denied employing me.

I have changed from a woman who could work three days and nights straight without a rest - and I was proud of this - to a woman who can’t even handle the cold – MS suffers can’t.
I had ceased counting the years I had worked seven days a week after the third year, as I had no plans to stop this.

I have no choice but to make claims to the DWP to have some money – let's face it, London is an expensive city.

I hope Mr Cameron realises this, when making changed to the “albatross around the neck of British businesses.”

Please note, I would be saying this, regardless of the political party the Prime Minister is from or his/her beliefs.

PS, as I still want to work for a living, please don’t hesitate to view my other site, by clicking here.

Light and Peace

Andria.

I have been confirmed as having MS.

It was in October of this year that I had no choice but to accept my diagnosis, after my specialist, Dr Trip, wrote to my GP, Dr Anita Kapoor, that month.

He was kind enough to send me a copy of that letter too.

I had another attack of demylenation disease in September, with severe vertigo, which responded to steroids.

But this means, as Dr Trip had stated, the diagnosis of MS is secure. I really liked being an outdoors person and hoped I could go back to my hobby of jogging.

Personally I doubt I will ever truly know why I’ve been affected with this condition, which has prevented me from living the life I once had and thoroughly enjoyed.

I liked the challenge of working for days without sleep and being reliant on myself to get things done.

I was so proud at what I accomplished in my past, which included starting looking at the pain and misery left in the aftermath of gun and knife crime for the parents, siblings and friends of those who have been shot.

I was pleased that after attending the march for Anton Hyman (with no help, from start to finish, a massive thanks to MacDonalds for use of their toilets) other marches against gun and knife crime were organised and covered by other journalists from all aspects of the media.

I also wanted to have a present and future which included being able to enjoy full optimum health, so for this to happen knocked me sideways.

If I can learn one thing from my health problems, it’s that Multiple Sclerosis respects no one, regardless of status or whether they’re perceived as a role model or a bad girl.

It doesn’t matter how much you look the part, be it a secretary, a journalist or a successful bank manager, there is still one important need we all have.

Everyone wants to live. It’s a natural human instinct.

I still want to achieve things in my life, which includes seizing the day. I liked the challenge of being able to balance several things/issues at once.

Somehow, for a reason beyond my understanding, my brain has made the decided to override this.

Now if I don't write things down, I will forget them.

I don’t want to sit in a chair all day. I still want to do things and that will never change.

So I do hope out of my situation more people will begin to understand the complex issues of MS.

There isn’t anything attractive about MS. It is a horrible, debilitating illness.

In the early days, my parents neighbours used to tell them I was drunk until I started to use a walking stick.

If there is another thing I’ve learned from this is a few home truths. I thought by now I’d be married with kids.

But life isn’t black and white; it has shades of grey.

We Brits have always been able to keep a stiff upper lip, even when we’re clearly being bullied.

One former friend even had the nerve to tell another former close friend of mine that I allowed myself to be bullied at work and the other one immediately accepted this to be true.

It is this insensitive behaviour, along with people not wanting to believe their friends could be so horrible to other people for the heck of it, that kills.

My heart still goes out to Fiona Pilkington, the mother who committed suicide and the death of her disabled daughter Francecca Hardwick, 18, in 2007, who couldn’t take the bullying, harassment and being let down by people who were supposed to protect them but didn’t.

The only thing good to come of this tragedy is that we as people finally accepted others do need to be protected from the dark side of human nature.

Read details of this tragic case by clicking here.

I can assure you, suffers of MS who are not wheelchair bound are not lazy people who need to pull their socks up.

I say this as I get so much abuse, which has included physical, when I’m sitting down in a priority seat on a bus, tube or train.

I have fallen over on the pavements so many times, I now walk in the road as that is a smoother, flatter surface – I assure you, it really hurts when I do fall over.

I also walk in the park, even when it’s dark.

I know it’s dangerous, especially as there are no park wardens in my neck of the woods but again, for the same reason above, I feel I’ve got no choice as I’ve ended up with my face on the pavement far too many times.

What I now require is patience, understanding and time, even when walking.

If you can afford these things, I and many people who are disabled truly thank you.

If you are struggling with balance, co-ordination and concentration as I did in the early stages (and still do) please go and see your GP today.

Hopefully you won't be diagnosed with my condition.

But if you do, whatever happens, don’t forget, you still have the right to be here.

Please note, I'm not bitter. I've accepted I've got to deal with the cards life has sent me.

I still intend on enjoying life and accept I have to do it in a different way, which now includes cutting down on chocolate!

Don't let anything or anyone prevent you from enjoying life.

From the bottom of my heart, to one and all, happy holidays to you and everyone!

Andria

PS, don’t hesitate to view my other site by clicking here.