Life-changing stories revealed by ‘ordinary’ Scots

In a new Scottish book, 30 characters share the spotlight – they also share the struggle of living with a long-term health condition.

Some are fighting physical illness, some are fighting substance abuse and mental health issues. Some aren’t suffering, just coping on behalf of a loved one who is.

Their stories are featured in a new charity book, Humans of Scotland.

It has been put together by the Health and Social Care Alliance, which invited people to share their experiences through a storytelling project.

And it has gained the backing of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who has written the foreword.

But there are many more “ordinary” Scots who share their stories. Here is a selection:

Michael Byrne from Stepps – survivor of the Clutha disaster

It was lonely and extremely painful. The loneliness was caused because no one could understand my pain. All you want to do is escape from the pain. You have something you believe no one can relate to.

I went off the rails and sabotaged everything around me. Those four to five months were my darkest days.

I clung onto life an hour at a time and that’s what I’ve done ever since. I’ve got a two and a half-year-old. As bad as the pain was, I wanted to forge ahead.

When I found out I had complex PTSD I was relieved. I was denying I was ill for a long, long time. It was a freedom to own it. It’s me and that’s it. It’s taken me 49 years to get to this point.

I write poetry, I go to support groups, they are absolutely my medicine. I volunteer from Brothers in Arms Scotland and run a support group and I help out with Stigma Free Lanarkshire.

I need some alone time. I need to do a bit of meditation, a bit of writing, it’s blocking the outside world out because sometimes I’m noise sensitive, I’m light sensitive. I have to find a balance.

I love waking up my son in the morning. It’s the most beautiful moment of the day, just lifting him up and giving him a kiss. He’s a beautiful boy.

I look forward to making a difference to people in the future, even just by telling my story, if they think “if that guy can do it, I’ll go and talk to somebody”.

Melanie McLean from Kilmarnock – has rheumatoid arthritis

I found a notebook that contained writing about the challenges, feelings and emotions I had within the first few months of having my baby. On opening the first page, I was transported to a time, not so long ago, where I was furious with my body for letting me down, for letting my baby down. I wrote…

My body is letting me down. At eight months it has become physically impossible to hold her in my arms for more than two minutes at a time.

I worry about not being able to be a proper mum as I’m not able to physically keep up as eight months of constant caring, being up, physical activity, the cycle of insomnia and knackeredness is really telling on my body.

I have thoughts every night in bed of what I’d love to be able to do with her, but I can’t do these things.

I am aware of being physically weak and ‘unable’ for the first time in my life of living with rheumatoid arthritis.

I can hardly get the sick drenched clothes off her or me, turn the dial on the shower or wash the sick off me, or dry myself, or get new clothes on, thanking god for my husband who is able to comfort her and clean up the mess. And I get angry at my body and myself for not being able just to get things done, or deal with my current agony.”

I remember that I had stopped writing because I was crying, with defeat in my heart.

What I can tell you though, is that I picked up my defeated heart, dusted myself down and somewhere, from very deep within, found my usual defiance, looked ahead and kept on going…”

Imran Akhtar from Glasgow – suffered sudden sight loss

I was a post office manager at the time, and I was just standing at work one day and the sight in one eye just went. No warning, no pain, no nothing. I finished my shift and thought it might get better. The next day I went to the hospital and they said my retina had detached. They don’t know why it happened.

I was going in for my third operation and I noticed a little speck in my other eye. They said that retina has detached as well. I asked when I could get back to driving and they said it’s never going to happen. In the waiting room I just started crying. I wasn’t prepared for it, I wasn’t expecting it. I thought I would just go back to my old life. I went home and stayed in bed for two weeks.

Eventually I managed to pick myself up and went to the RNIB and they said they could help me find a job. I started volunteering and eventually a full-time job came up. That came to an end and now I work for Access to Work. I go out and see people with sight loss, hearing loss and dyslexia to offer help, support and advice. I feel like I’ve come full circle. I’m helping people who were in my position.

The most amazing moment is when I’m seeing someone with sight loss and they see my white cane. Their mentality changes when they see somebody with sight loss doing this type of job. When I see the figures for people with disability in work it’s heart breaking. They just need a little bit of support.

It sounds weird to say, but losing my sight was one of the most positive experiences because now I’m helping people in a real way. Before that I was just plodding along rather than being in this great position. My confidence is sky high.

If you’re facing sight loss and you are feeling really low, just know there is help and support out there. You have to reach out to people and, I assure you, they will reach back and help you.

Humans of Scotland was launched on 25 September and will be available free of charge. It will be distributed across all libraries in Scotland.