Hello you,

I have been quite nervous about sharing my story here, but I feel like it is a big step I need to take to connect with others who truly understand the chronic illness life.

My journey began when I was just 8 years old. I was diagnosed with Cancer (Rhabdomyosarcoma) in the muscle above my eye - this relapsed twice. To treat the cancer, I had to have my eye removed and underwent intensive chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

I am now 38, and while I survived the cancer, the treatments I had as a child caused long-term damage to my heart. This led to a diagnosis of Heart Failure. Because of this, I have an ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) fitted. I like to think of myself as part-machine - which is exactly where my YouTube name channel name comes from!

Managing my health is a full-time job. I am on a lot of medications, including Apixaban, Digoxin, Furosemide, Eplerenone, Entresto, Bisoprolol, and Allopurinol. I also use a wheelchair sometimes for accessibility and adventures when my heart needs the extra support.

I decided to start my YouTube channel, because I was shutting myself in and struggling with not having anything to do. This really fed into my anxiety and depression. I wanted to give myself a focus and a way to encourage myself to get out more and work on my anxiety when I can. You can find a link to the YouTube channel in my profile or via the linked video.

I don’t have a strict posting schedule because I have to listen to my body and I only post when I am able to. I have attached a link to a video on my channel explaining why I started it and why I chose the name.

I would love to connect with anyone else navigating complex health issues or using hobbies to help manage their mental health. It really helps to know we aren't alone in this.

Look forward to talking to more of you here.

Tatty Bye!

A little about me