‘I’m still me’

Disability equals diversity, not disadvantage. Since 1992, the United Nations has marked the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD), to spread the word on disability issues and mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of people with disabilities.

For our second IDPWD colleague story of today, contract perform manager, Suzanna Bailey from Group Procurement, tells us about her recent diagnosis.

‘I’ve had back problems and nerve damage in my right leg since January 2017,’ said Suzanna. ‘This has resulted in surgery, more pain relief injections than I care to remember and radio frequency injections.

‘When I started to experience new symptoms in my right leg, I went to see my GP who referred me for an MRI. The day after my scan, I received a call to see my GP again. I knew at this point that she had something to tell me as you only get the call if something has been picked up in a test, and you certainly never get to see your GP the day after!

‘Two days later, I was speaking to a neurologist and since then, I’ve had two more MRIs, 25 blood tests, and innumerable walking tests and balance checks. To cut a long story short, I’ve finally been diagnosed with MS, or more specifically, relapsing and remitting MS (RRMS). How has it impacted my life? In every imaginable way.

‘I think the main impact on me now is MS fatigue. It’s like nothing I could have imagined, my body literally just switches off. The best way to explain it is to compare your energy levels to a phone battery. Everything you do, physically or even mentally, takes bars of energy, and when your battery is empty, you simply can’t function properly. If you don’t rest, you will literally fall asleep! So, more breaks and rests are required, and that’s challenging.

‘I have to prioritise. I’ve had lots of hospital appointments to attend (GP, neurology, MS nurses, physio, rehab and more) and this has been on top of two relapses, which have occurred very close together. This has meant that I’ve not been feeling 100% and I’ve not been working 100%. This has inevitably meant that things have slipped, even with me prioritising, but people have helped cover the work, which has been a huge help.

 ‘After telling my managers and close friends, who have been amazing, picking me up when I’ve felt down, I’ve only recently told my colleagues in Group Procurement. Now I’m sharing it with everyone as I feel like I’ve not always been able to be honest with people.

 ‘One thing I’ve learned about MS very quickly is that no two people with MS are the same. We all have different triggers, relapses, recovery times, reactions to treatments and/or steroids, good days and bad days. I hope everyone feels they can approach me to either simply talk about the weather, MS in general or my MS specifically. I might have a walking crutch now, but I’m no different to how I was – I’ve not changed. I’m still me. If you have any questions for me or you just want to know more, please get in touch by emailing Suzanna.Bailey@royalmail.com.’

Improving the experience of colleagues with a disability

Our Disability steering group was established in 2014. The key objective of the group is to improve the experience of disabled colleagues at Royal Mail and provide easy-to-access information and guidance to colleagues who have a disability of any kind.