My Story

My life has, so far, been far from ordinary.

I have learnt that through telling people your story you can make a profound impact and create an instant connection. Telling people what you've done, where you've been and what struggles you've overcome, can give them inspiration and give yourself authority.

In September of 2012 I married Katie. I was just over 21 when I got married. This is when most people express shock, or disgust. It is often assumed that because we are a young couple, we must be a naive couple. Hopefully, through reading my story, you'll be inclined to disagree.

From the age of 19 I have been a full time carer to my wife. She has the chronic illnesses, fibromyalgia and M.E., which means most days she can't get out of bed and she needs a wheelchair/scooter whenever she leaves the house. Me and my wife fight everyday to not let this situation dictate our lives. Our aspirations are high, we refuse to be held back because we know that there in an amazing life waiting for us.


I'm in the middle of doing a history degree. It's tough doing a degree, whilst being a full time carer and working a part time job, but, I'm passionate about my subject, and frankly, I'm good at it too.

I have a busy, sometimes difficult, but always wonderful life. It's a lot of pressure, and I have a lot of responsibility, much more than the average 21 year old. I've had to fight to get what I have, and must continue to fight so that I can live a fruitful life.

I hasn't always been a smooth ride. For a number of year, I've struggled with mental illness. I've gone from pill to pill, I've gone backward and I've gone forward, I've been in and out of hospital, and I've spent more time with counsellors than I'd care to guess at. The important thing, however, is that I'm still working to overcome my situation, and to turn a negative into something remarkable. I refuse to be silenced by the darkness that tries in infiltrate my life.

I draw my strength from several places. I am inspired by the acts and words of other people. I wear words of encouragement like armour to protect me from negativity.

My wife is also an amazing source of strength for me. While I care for her physically, she continually  feeds back into me. She gives me strength, encouragement and wisdom. She's the greatest fighter that I've ever met. She oozes strength and power, even when she's in too much pain to move.

My greatest source of strength, however, comes from God. For two years I've been a Christian and been part of a life changing church. My faith has kept me alive, literally. It's a constant reminder that I have potential to change the world, and my church is giving me the tools to do just that. I do things, with God, that I could hardly have imagined without him.

This is, of course, a snapshot of my story. I have so much more to tell you, and every single day, I'm working no adding more. Consider this a trailer. For the full length feature, keep reading this blog, and more will be revealed.












3 comments:

  1. Dear Paul,

    I came across your blog after Googling 'inspirational blogs' - and I am so glad I did! Thanku for sharing your story, and with such conviction and determination. It is truly an inspiration, especially from a young couple.

    I am a 29/f/happily married. My husband and I are also Christians. We have been married for 6 years and he has been extremely supportive throughout my journey. I have struggled with my mental fitness (a term I adopted from Tony Robbins because I think it's awesome, haha) for most of my life. I spent a good chunk of my 20s floundering around in my dark mind, not sure how and where to get proper help. It is great to hear that your wife and church are a huge support!! After reading some of your posts, I greatly admire your character, resilience and ongoing pursuit for victory through Christ!

    (I have run out of space so I will continue my post in another comment box, ha ha!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have a story that I would like to share with you in hopes that it will encourage you and Katie to keep up the good fight.

    A few weeks ago God restored my mind in a way that I didn't think was possible. To give you some context, I also have a chronic illness and have been waiting on an organ transplant list for 2+ years. People often comment how challenging it must be to live with a chronic disease, but I must say that the battle for a healthy mind has been much more intense (in my experience). Like you, I have been stigmatized, judged and misunderstood more times than I care to recall. I am a nurse, and despite ongoing efforts to dismantle peoples' misperceptions about mental illness, I believe the only way another person can truly understand the depths of mental darkness is through lived experience. Even though it has been brutal, I am in a place now where I can honestly say I am in a place where the struggles have been worth it. Not only has it made me a more compassionate nurse, it made me a much stronger Christian, and has been a real life testimony of the power of God and it's applicability to my life!!! Nothing compares to this, nothing! I am also being restored physically and it is so incredible that I must share with others that the living God HEALS!
    Three weeks ago I was laying helplessly in a psych unit (as the patient, not as the nurse, ha). I was admitted to hospital because I had stopped eating entirely and I basically gave up fighting. It was one of the darkest times of my life. I told God I couldn't keep living like this; actually, I didn't just "tell" Him, I cried out to Him with all the energy I had left. I thought I would surely die in that place. I had hit rock bottom - after a series of circumstances - and I no longer had the will to keep pushing through. The emotional and physical pain was drowning me. I have trouble using words to describe what happened next, but in that moment God came to me and pulled my mind out of the darkness and into HIS LIGHT!! If I may offer a visual, it was like drowning in a giant ocean with no help in sight, and having God reach down and pull me up and say, "I am here to save YOU". The clarity and HOPE that I carry in my heart and mind after this experience is indescribable. He revealed to me all the lies I believed about myself (and others) and how acting on this had me tangled up in a web of deception. This experience showed me how much God values his children - and that He means what He says in Psalm 68:20 that "Our God is a God who SAVES; from the Sovereign LORD comes ESCAPE FROM DEATH"!!! He rescues us in our darkest moments!! I wonder if you have experienced anything like this before? I had not, and I will never be the same again.

    Okay, this is quite a lengthy comment, ha ha. My purpose in sharing is to offer you and Katie HOPE that God sees every part of your circumstance, and He will rescue you when you call on Him! It may not be instant, or maybe it will, who knows. God works in mysterious ways, right? Sometimes it is difficult to understand why God gives us these struggles, but one thing is for sure: He will pick us up in our most desperate moments! For me it took hitting rock bottom (I do not use that term lightly) after 20+ years of trying to overcome on my own strength.
    I will pray for you and Katie, that when the time is right, you will experience the full healing of God in a very REAL and lasting way!! In the meantime, I pray for God to sustain you both and that your love for each other will continue to flourish, even under harsh circumstances.
    I will continue to follow your blog as well :)

    Keep up the good fight! And thankyou for sharing your story with the world! I believe you and Katie likely won't realize the full impact that each of your strength has on others in this life, but please know that I have been strengthened and inspired by your story.

    -Your sista in Christ, Loni :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi. I wanted to ask if your wife has been tested for Lyme by a lyme litterate doctor? Thank you for sharing your story and your bravery. I hope all is well.

    ReplyDelete