"Although my experiences form the basis of my blog and without being able to draw on those there would potentially be no blog, my accomplishments can never make up for the trauma and neglect, I've had to go through over the years.

They never can, because the time scale is too long and those responsible haven’t accepted or apologised for their behaviour. Although my disability wasn’t something talked about, when I did eventually ask about it, I was told they didn't want to know. I was hoping that by writing and getting my thoughts out there and being able to understand why these had to be my experiences, I would feel much better about them. It's often what's left behind and the way in which it's left – that can leave us stuck.

I went into some very dark places, and I wouldn’t want others to go there around their experiences. It may sound like a cliche, and I'm sorry if it does – but if my writing can help others understand their own experiences, then my experiences won’t have been in vain. My writing helps to absorb some of the bitterness that comes with my experiences, so I can feel a little more neutral about them."