Who do you or did you care for?

My longest caring experience was caring for my grandmother

What sorts of things do you help with?

I think that the biggest help I was to my grandmother was to listen and talk to her - she loved to tell stories over and over again and valued the fact that I would sit, sometimes for what felt like hours, and listen to her whilst she told me stories about her youth. On a practical level I helped with her medications, cleaning, housework, dressings and all that other stuff.

What are / were some of the best things about caring?

Spending time with someone I loved dearly, feeling appreciated (which is a bit unusual for a teenager), and probably knowing that I was providing comfort to someone at a time when they feel crappy, scared and alone.

What are / were some of the things that were hard?

Definitely watching someone you love in pain is the hardest thing about caring, particularly when they hurt so much there is nothing else they can do but cry. It was also hard to watch my friends have the freedom to do everything they wanted to and not being able to join them or feeling guilty if I did. I also remember hating the way that I was dismissed by doctors and other health people.

How did you cope when times were tough?   

I was lucky that I had a very good and supportive group of friends who would prop me up every now and again. Otherwise I tried to treasure the good times in order to get through the bad times. I became an avid reader because this helped me to escape a little bit of my reality. A good cry never went astray either.

How did you look after yourself?

I did a lot of sport (believe it or not!!!!), read, I set aside a certain time each week when my Nana had some respite care to do things I wanted to - either seeing a movie, having milkshakes with friends, playing music, shopping, taking a bath or just generally hanging.

How do you relax?

Relax - what is that? No seriously it is important to have ways to relax. For me I hang out with my friends, listen to music, talk a walk, go for a swim, walk along the beach, take a drive in the mountains, watch a video, go to the movies, have a facial, have a massage, meditate, read, sleep, write or just stare mindlessly into the distance (actually this is what I do at work and think it should be included on my duty statement!!!)

Who do you / did you get support from?

I got support from my family (well some of them anyway), my friends, my boyfriend in particular was a great support and I was part of a support group for carers. I also used to get a lot of support and affirmation from people I hardly knew - with these people I could often share things I couldn't share with others and this was invaluable. My greatest support however was actually from my Nana and the lesson she taught me which was to always know who you are and where you are going and draw strength from your inner core which contains all of the skills and knowledge you will ever need.

What's your greatest achievement?

I think in a lot of ways my greatest achievement is the fact that I am still alive and functioning today.

Where do you gather strength from?

My Nana, my mother, my friends, myself. I also gather strength from thinking about what it is I want, setting myself a goal and developing a plan to get there.

An embarrassing moment?

Most recently this would be falling over in Thailand in the middle of a busy street with everyone looking. I was also wearing a skirt at the time which added to the embarrassment. Did I forget to say that I was carring 4 glasses at the time which created so much noise that those people who didn't see me fall certainly did see me lying on the road. Did I mention that this was in a small town so from that point on everywhere I went people referred to me as the girl who fell over!!!!

If you had some advice for other young carers, what would it be?

Always be yourself, never be shy about saying what your needs are and getting these met, remember why you are doing what you are doing, spend time with yourself and your friends, savour the good times, spend some time discovering who you are and what is at your core as this will provide you with both integrity and the strength to go on.