Home Life and (lack of) Health...

Well, there's a long story to go here and I will hopefully get round to it eventually. I was born in May 1957 and grew up as the oldest of 4. My first job was at Woolworths, then I became a supermarket section manager for a couple of years before starting to DJ seriously. I did that full-time until I married the first time at 20. I was divorced after 12 years and remarried in 1990. That lasted only 4 years and also ended in divorce. I'll fill in the gaps at some point, but I remarried (third time lucky they say) in 2000 and now live with wife Linda and her daughter Ellen.

Over the years I've worked in a textile warehouse, then an engineering stores, moving from that to computer systems analyst/programmer positions with three major companies until my third redundancy in 1999. I then worked from home a lot trying to earn a crust self-employed, but traveled out to handle jobs as needed too. In early 2005 I started a new job, running a radio station in Thorne, near Doncaster, and was looking forward to taking that into the future. Sadly, some people thought otherwise and I've been unemployed since September 2011 thanks to contructive dismissal. There's more about that in my radio pages.

I have three children of my own from my second wife. They're growing up fast! My daughter, the eldest of the three, got married in 2012...

My (dare I say current) wife, Linda, has a daughter from her first marriage and Ellen is 30. She still lives with us but is developing independence and gained a boyfriend.

In the early 1990's I was working in a new building, sorting out network and telephone connections ready for when the company would move in a few weeks later. It was summer, the building had many windows missing and there were big puddles everywhere, even inside. The contractors were plastering and painting too, so it was classed as a 'wet building'. Through getting hot and cold over a few days working there I developed pneumonia and was hospitalised for a week, then off work a further three. I was left with reduced lung capacity and given inhalers for asthma.

Over the years this got progressively worse and in the 2000's I was diagnosed with emphysema, these days termed as COPD or Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It a degeneration of the lung tissue for which there is no cure. It's treatable in keeping the condition reasonably stable, and I've been on a mixture of pills and inhalers for many years now. I gave up smoking in 2009 and my condition went downhill! The tar and gunk cleared out, the bugs and chest infections got in. I need frequent courses of anti-biotics and steroids to combat these.

I am unable to work any more. There are days when I struggle getting up and getting to the loo first thing, let alone considering setting of for work. I'm one of many who have to claim the various disability related allowances, and risk being tagged a 'benefits scrounger' by people who have no idea what they are talking about. I worked hard for many years and have sufficient NI credits to get a full pension, fi I make it to retirement age. I paid into a system where someone with an incapacity or disability would receive an allowance from the public purse. I have battled to get through assessments and applications to be able to receive these and feel perfectly entitled to do so.

Having said that, I do not receive all I should and feel bitter about the experience I had in claiming DLA (Disability Living Allowance). Initially I was refused totally. I appealed, was seen by an ATOS appointed doctor and then granted low rate care component. I appealed again as I felt my biggest problem was mobility and the need to attend hospital appointments etc. I was turned down again, it went to a tribunal and they rejected my appeal saying I would 'get beter' with the treatment I was receiving. I felt insulted, they obvioauly had no idea what they were talking about as COPD does NOT get better, no matter what treatment is given. It took a total of 15 months from applying to being told by a tribunal judge that I would not be given leave to appeal to the upper tribunal. At the time of writing this (Nov 2013) I find myself in limbo. No new claims can be made for DLA and the new PIP is only available to people living in certain areas, and I'm not in one of those.

I feel a prisoner in my own home at times. I dare not go anywhere as I need to stop and get my breath often. Even if I managed to get to the nearest bus stop, what happens at the other end? I've been dropped off in the not-so-wonderful Doncaster Transport Interchange many a time at a stand well away from where I need to be. Earlier in 2013 I had a spell of pleurisy and that has knocked me back even more. I dare not go alone as I could easily be stranded and have no way of raising an alarm as mobile phones don't work in most of that palce either !

I really wanted to try and get a small car, under the DLA mobility allowance. I have no independence, I rely on my wife taking me out, or letting me use her car. If you read the government website for PIP it says: To qualify for PIP, you must: have a long-term health condition or disability and difficulties with activities related to ‘daily living’ and or mobility - which I do, I don't get the help I need though.

More to come...

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(c) 2000 - Gordon Sharpe/Donweb

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