This is Dominic

Dominic is a small, eccentric challenge to the medical profession, and possibly the funniest nine year old you’ll ever meet. He is an expert on all things relating to superheros, but thinks that the super villains are more interesting. He is a wheelchair user, a marmite lover and an avid gamer. He’s smart, very philosophical and gives the best hugs. We do not know the reason for Dominic medical difficulties and his physical disability. Despite doctors running every test they can think of to try and find a diagnosis, he remains undiagnosed. Because of this a he is considered to be a SWAN, which stands for Syndrome Without a Name.

 

This is Elliot

Elliot is my serious, sensitive and cerebral thirteen year old, destined to be a great research scientist or an evil overlord, he hasn’t quite decided yet. When he’s not attempting to hack into my computer system or staring, eyes glazed, at a screen he’s negotiating his way through his own issues to become an amazing kid with so much potential.

He also just happens to have Asperger’s, ADHD and a whole myriad of other issues that make his world view one you’ll want to listen to. He is also a SWAN.

 

This is Lilia

Lilia is an eleven year old happy go-lucky and beautiful little girl. Has ambitions to be a doctor when she grows up, if she gets bored of being a rock star. Lilia was born laughing and has an easy and endearing personality and is very emotionally intelligent, which is lucky really considering the family she was born into.

Lilia is also a SWAN.

 

And this is Me

I’m a sleep deprived, closet techie geek who serially modifies every piece of shiny technology that comes my way just for the satisfaction of being able to do it. Turned, out of necessity, into a disability advocate I would rather try to improve the system when I think there is something that could be better rather than wasting my time just moaning about it. I’ve become adept at speed learning specialties over the years as my children have required me to have the skills of a doctor, nurse, physio, occupational therapist, teacher, counsellor, detective and lawyer.

I’m no different from any other parent, other than perhaps the ability to find inappropriate humour in the worst of situations. I believe there is always a solution to any problem, you just have to think laterally.

I also write, illustrate and design in my spare time and can often be found breaking my website as I learn to code. Just Bring the Chocolate is what I do in my ‘me’ time, even if that time can only be found at 2am. If the website appears a bit neglected, it’s probably safe to conclude that I’m sat in a corner twitching somewhere trying not to drop any of the things I’m juggling. Thankfully I have a well established chocolate-based coping mechanism and think I do an admirable job of appearing together. As with all parents, I’m just attempting to ‘do’ normal life, or at least fake it convincingly.

And these are our animals

There is Chloe, the neurotic border collie, Tallulah the clumsy, over enthusiastic labradoodle and Rocky the Maltipoo who is everybody’s therapy dog. Living in harmony with the dogs are two black cats, Hecate and Pyewacket and too many chickens.