In response to my exposé report, the Head of Quality and Head of PALS (Patient Advice & Liaison Service) from the Northwest Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust met with me to discuss my concerns around the care I received. I was uneasy about the meeting and anxious, but it went extremely well.
The Northwest Boroughs Healthcare NHS Trust have taken my report seriously and the feedback has been responded to with both top-down and bottom-up approaches.
The meeting couldn’t have gone better and I left feeling very assured that they had not only taken my concerns seriously, but responded to them appropriately. They are due to write a formal response to me in due course.
I followed this with a self-care treat of a 60 minute full body massage. This was relaxing and de-stressing. It was a GroupOn deal, I’ve never used GroupOn before, but it’s great for trying out new experiences or businesses at a reduced price. So check it out.
Yesterday I attended a meal to celebrate what would have been Alex, my younger brother’s 28th birthday.
Words that sum up my last few days: unease, anxiety, bravery, changing things for the better, relaxing, de-stressing, remembrance, celebration.
Growing up I was the middle child. There are mixed views on whether the order of birth impacts on the individual, but my question is: How can it not? Especially when 80% of what we do is learned behaviour.
Research says that middle children are:
Adaptable.
More likely to take risks.
More Independent.
Better at articulating our view.
Have healthier and happier social relationships.
Are self-motivated.
Have realistic expectations.
Are responsible.
Are more empathic.
Value justice rather than money.
Good at working in teams.
Have strong leadership skills.
Are more patient.
Have less ego.
Are more likely to succeed in making changes to the world.
Do better in positions of great power and responsibility.
Are happy not being the centre of attention.
Are determined and driven to succeed.
I can’t help but wonder if this research was undertaken by middle children to make themselves sound good. Listing the above on a CV would definitely lead to someone landing an interview.
Take more independent as an example. I’d say I’m independent, but no more so that either of my brothers.
But the are some benefits to being the middle child. Being the middle child I’ve always had hand-me-downs. As a young child hand-me-downs were just part of growing up. But as an adult one of my brothers is into designer clothes. He doesn’t buy clothes often, but when he does I get his hand-me-downs.
Another benefit is that I always have big brothers who have got my back and are a source of support. I always have older brothers to ask for advice and some of their advice has truly been invaluable.
Being the middle child has helped me to be more extroverted in social situations. It has helped me to learn how to work a room and make people laugh. This is probably to ensure that as a middle child I don’t get forgotten about. Even if this means being slightly dramatic at times to get my voice heard. I also make good use of pauses and silence to get the impact that I want in social situations.
There’s a freedom to being the middle child that comes from parents having no expectations, unlike expectations parents often put on the first born. This means that we middle children can do what we like, within reason and usually without disappointing our parents.
Being the middle child has helped me to be better at negotiation, compromise and sharing. This is due to having to consider others growing up.
Are you a middle child? What are the benefits you’ve found from your birth order? Leave a comment below.
There aren’t a lot of famous people who’ve been open about their HIV status. This is not surprising given the historic stigma associated with HIV. In the 1980s there was a real lack of information about HIV/AIDS, this led to myths and a lot of fear. There were also no treatments. This was a public information broadcast back in 1986, and it really shows how little we knew about HIV/AIDS and what a diagnosis meant (death):
1. Freddie Mercury
Perhaps the most famous person to be open about their HIV positive diagnosis was the legendary Freddie Mercury. He opened up about his HIV positive diagnosis the day before his death.
What is fascinating about Freddie Mercury is that he has been remembered for the way he lived, not the way he died. He is remembered for his work: writing songs, singing them and fabulous performances.
If I could have tea with anyone from any time, living or dead it would probably be Freddie Mercury. As a fellow creative soul (albetit not in the same field) I’d love to know where he got his inspiration. How he came up with his ideas. How he managed to find the magic melodies and be ahead of his time, yet timeless at the same time. Freddie Mercury gave very few interviews, so I guess I’ll never know the answers to these questions.
2. Gareth Thomas
Gareth Thomas is a Retired Professional Rugby Player from Wales, UK.
Gareth Thomas disclosed his HIV status as being positive, yet also being undetectable and untransmittable earlier this year. His HIV status really shows how far treatment for HIV has come. Once a death sentence, it is now a treatable condition. Many people who are HIV positive can now have the same life span as those who are HIV negative.
Prior to this Gareth Thomas is the first major sportsman to come out as gay in Rugby, which he did so in 2009. Rugby is a very masculine sport, so he should be commended for being honest and open about his sexuality.
3. Andrew Bell Andrew Bell is the lead singer in the band Erasure. In 2004 he disclosed his HIV positive status to the public.
Since Andrew Bell’s disclosure he has been involved with a number of charities raising funds for HIV research and projects. This includes work with National AIDS Trust (NAT).
4. Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen is an Actor with a checkered past. His past according to several sources includes violence, alcohol and substance misuse and being very sexually promiscuous. It is the latter of these behaviours that probably led to Charlie Sheen being diagnosed as HIV positive.
In 2015 Charlie Sheen disclosed his HIV status in an interview. In the same interview he reported that he had spent approximately $10 million to keep extortionists quiet about his HIV status.
5. Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith is a Retired Politician in the UK. I didn’t know that he even existed before doing research for this blog post. He is one of the unsung heroes in the LGBT community.
Christopher Smith was the first gay male Politician to come out, coming out as gay in 1984. He has severed in several Governments and has undoubtedly influenced people’s views about people who are LGBT. He has probably supported legislation for LGBT rights and promoted a more inclusive and equal culture.
I am aware that there are no women on this list. I couldn’t find a single famous female who has been open about their HIV positive diagnosis. If you know one, please leave a comment below and let me know.
A HIV positive diagnosis used to be like a death sentence, but today it isn’t. Treatments for HIV positive have never been better and have led to people with HIV being found to be undetectable and untransmitable. Want to know more about HIV? Learn more here.
Write soon,
Antony
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Friday 6 December 2019
About
Antony Simpson - Author, Blogger, Nurse & Witch.
Author of eight books.
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