By Mencap
"My name is Lucy, I am 39 years old and from Southampton, born and raised, but now living in Nottingham. I have been married to a wonderful and supportive man, Andrew (42), for the last 10 years who is an assistant principal at a local sixth form college. I am a part time reprographics technician at a local secondary school and carer for my eldest child, my son Logan (9yrs old). We also have a daughter, Marli (8) and a pet cat called Boba. We moved to Nottingham in March 2020 just days before the Covid pandemic lockdown began, as my husband had gotten a new job here. We’d never been here prior to the move, so to move to a completely new city, with no friends or family nearby, and be forced into a lockdown was quite daunting to say the least!
Logan was born in November 2014 with an undiagnosed condition called TOF/OA (Trachea Oesophageal Fistula and Oesophageal Atresia) which basically means he was born unable to swallow. Milk didn’t pass into his stomach as his oesophagus came to a blunt end with no connection (atresia) and had formed a fistula between his stomach and his windpipe which meant any milk he would drink would fill up his lungs instead. He needed life support and had an operation on day two of life to mend his oesophagus and disconnect the fistula. Since then, he has needed constant supervision when eating to avoid any food getting stuck in his oesophagus as it doesn’t function the way that a normal oesophagus would. Food is broken down into smaller pieces, regular sips of drink is needed to help push the food down and he is limited as to what food he will eat.
We noticed at quite a young age that Logan wasn’t meeting a lot of the typical milestones that a baby or toddler should be, and it became quite evident that Logan was a little bit different to other children his age. He didn’t walk until around 18 months and couldn’t stand without support until after his second birthday. We were lucky that we already had quite a few professionals
involved
Involved is being included in something or taking part in something.
in Logan's care, that they began to point out the possibility of
autism
Autism is a disability. Autistic people find it difficult to understand what other people think and feel. They also find it difficult to tell people what they think and feel. Everyone with autism is different.
to us so it didn’t come as a complete shock to us when he got the official diagnosis just after his third birthday. He liked watching the same film (Toy Story) repeatedly and could quote every single line, however his basic communication was limited."
"We have had numerous struggles with Logan due to his autism and TOF/OA, but he is a delightful little boy, so happy and content in his own space."
"I have never run for any charity before, but I felt compelled to give back to Mencap. They’ve really brought us a little bit of a lifeline that we wouldn’t have had otherwise.
We’ve found that being away from our family and surviving the day-to-day tribulations with no support, can be quite difficult and tiring, as well as making time for Logan’s little sister Marli and giving her the attention she deserves too. We were introduced to a city council scheme for children that have an EHCP (Educational Healthcare Plan), that we applied for and were accepted, who then in turn put us in touch with Mencap. Mencap provide Logan, at no direct cost to us, with a weekly youth club session every Saturday for 3hrs where he is safe, supervised and he gets to spend time with other children just like him, without judgement and doing the things he may not normally get to do such a farm trips and baking. Since he started attending, he comes out their door each week with a massive smile on his face, loving every minute and looking forward to going back the next weekend. It also allows myself and my husband some quality time together which we do not get otherwise. It’s been an absolute Godsend to us and the fact that he loves it so much is the cherry on the top!"
When asked if Lucy has a connection to
learning disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
she says "My nephew Brodie is also diagnosed as autistic who is a similar age to Logan having only recently turned 10."
"Last July 2023, I took up running after seeing a photo of myself that I wasn’t happy with. I started slow but stayed committed, which even surprised myself! I took park in my first organised running event, a 10K in Leicester October 2023 and absolutely loved the environment and the sense of achievement. It then spurred me on to look at entering the London Marathon for 2025 as a goal for myself to complete in the year I turn the big 4-0. I have now taken part in over 15 organised running events in the last year, with my first half marathon coming up next weekend.
I was that person who made jokes like “I can barely run up the stairs” but never in my life thought I could run a 5K without stopping, let alone a full marathon! I’m so excited to do this and doing it whilst supporting such an amazing charity is the icing on the cake. I would say to anyone thinking of signing up and taking on this incredible challenge – DO IT! Don’t doubt your mental ability to set yourself a challenge and achieve it. The thought can be so daunting of raising the money and then completing the run itself, but you are surrounded by supportive friends, family and work colleagues who all want to see you succeed and they will be there with you every step of the way. When the time comes to do the actual Marathon, I know I will be supported at home and on the day by friends and family and by an amazing team of volunteers and fellow runners at Mencap all with the same goal. We have been there supporting each other and offering advice so far, and I have no doubt we will make it to race day ready to cheer each other on and get each other over that finish line. You aren’t doing this alone, its truly a team effort and achievement."