Hope this makes you smile

21 years ago today I woke up paralysed from the waist down. I was taken to the local hospital for loads of tests, x-rays and mri's and saw at least 10 different consultants. No-one was really sure what was wrong so I was sent to another hospital where, after 25 days I was given a diagnosis - Transverse Myelitis.
No-one had much of an idea about the condition, which was said at that time to be rare, affecting 1 in 1,000,000 people a year. I was then sent to re-hab at another hospital.
As I was wheeled into the unit on my bed I asked how long I had to be there and was told a minimum of 7 weeks, but that was dependent on my progress. I worked out the date - July 30th.... it gave me something to aim at.
I told everyone that come what may, I was going to 'walk' out of that door by the end of July.
On the 25th July I was told that I was being discharged, albeit in a wheelchair on 29th July. I could walk a few steps by that point so tottering on crutches I walked over the threshold and to our car - about 12 feet away.

My time away had been tough on my family. My husband ran his own business and this was his busiest time of year, but he had our 3 teenage children to look after as well.
My first week at home I found my youngest (13 year old) school bag and started to empty it, reading what he had been doing in school while I had been away.
I came across a piece of English. It was his take on what had been happening to me. It said that no-one knew what was wrong with me and they didn't know if I was going to die (I was choked tbh!)... then he put that finally I had got a diagnosis, it is a rare condition called Transfer Smileitis. I loved the fact that the teacher hadn't made one correction to his work.
So for 21 years, through even the toughest of days that is what I try to do Transfer Smiles - especially to the newly diagnosed people that I meet through the support group that I run.
I invite you all to join my little club. You too can have Transfer Smileitis, it always makes me feel better and hopefully it will make you feel better too