2020-24 reflections

I’ve been thinking about whether and what to write in this post for several months now as driving day became ever closer.??However, it finally arrived and a month on I’ve decided eventually to share parts of the journey I’ve been on over the last 4 years which have been the toughest of my adult life.

I’ll start at the beginning in May 2020 at the start of COVID when I suddenly collapsed at the breakfast table and fractured my skull. With my wife out for a run, it was left to my 10 and 8 year olds to respond to Daddy being on the floor with blood pouring out of his head to dial 999.??A black out perhaps, but then a seizure at home, followed by one pretty much every 2 weeks for the next 3/4 months eventually meant a diagnosis of late onset Epilepsy.??Not the worst diagnosis it could have been, but dealing with it alongside losing my driving licence, some of my independence and lots of my important Dad duties (kids drop offs, picks up, sports clubs) whilst being Interim CEO at Warwickshire during the initial COVID outbreak frankly gave my confidence and well being a good battering.

Anybody who has dealt with epilepsy out there will know that the treatment of it can be rather trial an error on different drugs and dosages, all of which take some time get used to as you aspire to stop the seizures happening. You go weeks and months without one and think you have cracked it and then another seizure pops up and its back to see the consultant to try something else and another 12 months until you can drive again.??The seizures can also happen anywhere and whilst I’m unconscious, my classic tonic-clonic seizures are stressful for your family, work colleagues or random strangers on a train to see (thanks to whoever called the ambulance to Widney Manor station in October 2022!)

Anyway, that’s the bad bits, but there have been some good bits:

• I’ve had to stop drinking which means no hangovers (but I do miss the Rioja!)
• Together with the drugs, trying everything possible to stop the bloody seizures has made me really focus on my work life balance and well-being.??It's a well used phrase, but when I’m 85, I’m not going to be wishing I spent more time in the office.
• Resilience - having got through this period, I feel better placed to meet whatever challenges come my way in the future, even if that is another seizure (13 months and counting).
• I’ve become one of the most sustainable commuters, usually sharing with my wife and work colleagues, especially Claire Daniel who I have to call out for giving me so many lifts over the last 4 years (not that she reminds me!)
• No car, means more walking (much to the annoyance of my kids at times).
• I’m one of Uber’s best customers in Birmingham and have used more public transport, especially trains getting up and down and across the country.??Strikes aside, West Mids trains and Chiltern have been decent, I just wish one of them would run trains early enough on the day of the Great Birmingham run - isn’t this the biggest mass participation event in the city????I think everybody knows that Cross Country trains?don’t usually have enough carriages on the weekends but Derby getting promoted, spending the day with my son Alex and the diversity of weekend travellers has made up for the packed trains.

I’ve met and spoken to several great people over the last 4 years - special call outs to Epilepsy Action , Chris Brindley MBE , but most importantly to my great family and friends.

I’ve enjoyed writing this and if it resonates with anybody else then I’m happy to connect.

Go well

Craig