As my five-year-old grandson Caiden made a sprint for the swings, I chased over and sat A down beside him. 'Let's see who can go higher, Nana,' he yelled, and side by side we swung into the afternoon sunshine, kicking our legs in the air.
The simple joy of spending an active afternoon with my youngest grandchild made my spirits soar, and I realised just how far I'd come in a matter of months, after more than a decade of feeling sad and depressed. It had started when I lost my mum Wyn to breast cancer in 2010. I'd been her carer, devoting myself entirely to her, and losing her left a huge hole in my life.
My grief led to depression and anxiety, and my GP prescribed antidepressants to help. My way to medicate was with food biscuits and chocolates seemed to be the only thing that briefly made me feel better.
Just as I'd come off the antidepressants in 2014, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a gruelling battle, which I eventually won, but the treatment sent me into menopause, and the side effects of the medications I'd been prescribed led to me gaining weight rapidly. I withdrew from the world, refusing to go out socialising.
Even my loving and supportive husband Colin couldn't coax me out of the house to one of his work events. "The last thing I want is to make you ashamed,' I said. 'How could I ever be ashamed of you?' Colin replied. I could see that he was shocked, but my self-esteem was in tatters.
I felt deeply embarrassed about myself, and I was sure others were bound to feel the same. I'd now been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and an autoimmune illness, which affected my joints and caused pain all over my body. And while I was having counselling for my mental health, which was really helpful in many ways, I couldn't shake those feelings of embarrassment and shame as my weight increased.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 24, 2024 من WOMAN'S OWN.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 24, 2024 من WOMAN'S OWN.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
MIND OF MY OWN
The Woman's Own columnist has her say on the gender gap, cats and timed hugs
Check out CHICAGO
With a spectacular skyline, sandy beaches and great food, the Windy City is calling, says Zoe West
LET'S EMBRACE OUR CHRISTMAS TAT!
Becky Dickinson explains why she'll still be rocking around her tinsel-strewn tree this year
BURIED SECRETS
We look at the shocking cases of celebrities posthumously accused of being sexual predators-and how they got away with it
FESTIVE NO-BAKES
Pop on the Christmas tunes and whip up a batch of these easy sweet treats
PROTECT YOUR SMILE
Are you doing enough to look after your teeth and gums?
'TIS THE SEASON TO SHINE!
At last, Hayley McCrossan, 39, feels fit and healthy
FOR THE LOVE OF TOM
When Deborah Mitchell, 57, lost her son, she vowed to help other families facing the same heartbreak
THE NURSE WHO LEFT MY GRANDAD FOR DEAD belict
Rachael Fealey, 31, had one question for the woman who killed her beloved Grampa - how could you?
Coleen's MONEY WORRIES
What are the reasons behind her financial and marriage fears?