After facing a rollercoaster of challenges over the past 20 years, from a difficult relationship and years of yo-yo dieting to a catalogue of health issues, I hit breaking point.
I never thought I’d find a way through it until hope sprang up in unexpected ways.
Watching the Paralympics on TV gave me hope. After sadly losing a friend to epilepsy and seeing another friend run a local half marathon in his memory, I was inspired to lose 10 stone and run in his memory too.
I started off slowly, with a friend for support. My weight steadily dropped, and two years later, I was able to run three half marathons and the London Marathon to raise money for charities close to my heart and to honor my friend.
As my seizures escalated to five a day, my confidence dropped, and depression enveloped me. However, exercise made me feel better. I exercised at home, doing step aerobics and push-ups.
I also fundraised in different ways, such as through a sponsored head shave when I had my brain surgery.
After my disabilities stopped me from working several years ago, I started writing stories more frequently. As my seizures reduced, walking with family brightened difficult days.
Therapy helped me a lot.
My eldest daughter wrote a book about epilepsy for kids, which raises money for epilepsy charities. We raised £18,000 for charities and donated epilepsy information packs to schools. We donated 759 epilepsy information packs to primary schools, libraries, and charities.
A few years later, my book, “Jo’s Hidden Secrets” by Emma Louise James, began raising money for a domestic violence charity and Mothers for Mothers, a post-natal depression charity that helped me during my darkest times. We are currently fundraising to donate mental health support packs to high schools, with 10 different charity leaflets inside, so teenagers know what support is available.
My Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter/X accounts are @Emmalouisejames, which you are welcome to follow.
Every £10 raised through my fundraiser funds a mental health pack for a high school.
