About Emily

I'm a specialist nurse in my mid-twenties and I've lived in Yorkshire my entire life. I love to cook, bake, travel, eat good food with friends, plan how many dogs I will own if I won the lottery, dance around my room instead of getting ready, and I'm frighteningly good at singing in the shower. I'm a total nerd for anything related to Grey's Anatomy, Marvel Avengers, Harry Potter, the list goes on!  If you think that Love Actually and Mamma Mia are bad films, we probably wouldn't get along.  I'm just kidding - we probably would, but I'd find it difficult NOT to tell you that you are absolutely wrong. 

//

I have a yellow Labrador puppy, who is just the sweetest snuggliest girl in the world.  Her name is Phyllis - so if you see her name in my entries, I'm talking about my dog, not some old lady. 

//

I'm aware that the first paragraph sounded like a GCSE  French exam, so I'll explain a little about why I started this blog. 

I have only one sibling - a big brother called Joe, who's 5 years older than me. Growing up, he was always the person I would go to if I knew anything funny, or ask for any information about ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING because he was such a brainiac. It's hard to say anything bad about people that have died, and I've really tried hard to think of things, believe me.  But there was absolutely no fault to Joe whatsoever.  He is the smartest, kindest, most thoughtful, selfless and most beautiful person I know. He is my hero and he is my sunshine, hence the name of this site. 

//

I lost Joe in February 2021. He had  Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy - please google this for more information other than my brief description.  It's a genetic, life-limiting condition and there has never been enough funding or awareness about it. Oh... and it's totally shit. I'm now officially allowed to say that, because Joe was the most incredible soul and there's a good chance he'd still be around if it wasn't for his condition. I'm allowed to be angry at it. 

I don't wish to describe how Joe passed on this page, but it was probably as peaceful and painless as it could have been. He made it to the cracking age of 28 (almost 29), which is extremely good for someone with Duchenne MD. 

//

It's taken a massive hit on my life, as you can imagine. You would have thought we, as a family, would have been preparing for this his entire life, and saw it coming from a mile away.  But that was not the case. It was sudden, and shocking, and devastating.  The actual day itself is a blur, and I have no idea how I got to sleep that night.  The last thing I remember is throwing up in the sink! 

I already had anxiety, which was then totally exacerbated by grief. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety in March 2021.

//

I have amazing parents and family, wonderful friends and the most incredible partner, Will. They have been my rock and have each played a massive part in keeping me alive and well, and enabled me to feel safe and secure, and comforted.  My boss and my place of work have been so understanding and gentle.  I hope that everyone going through the same situation as me has the support that I do.

//

If you wish to reach out, there is a contact page separate to this.  You can get to it using the menu at the top.  I hope to hear from you, and send you the very best wishes. 

​

Lots of love,

Emily x 

​