Ep 3: Relationships whilst single parenting a disabled child
In the third episode of the F**king Normal Podcast, we discuss Relationships, whilst parenting a disabled child.
Our guest is Vicky- a divorced, single-parent, domestic violence survivor and former disabled-parenting-dater.
Vicky’s wonderful son has an array of diagnoses, including Lissencephaly- a rare brain malformation, which causes profound disability in all areas of his life. He’s also blind, has uncontrolled epilepsy, is non-verbal, a wheelchair user and is now tube-fed.
We discuss the lows of living with an abusive ex-partner, to the highs of Vicky and her disabled child’s ‘little love bubble’, with some dating stories, relationship thoughts, general ‘tittle tattle’ and hard won wisdom, along the way.
Vicky is sharing her story as, sadly, there are undoubtedly some listeners in a similar boat- currently living in toxic and abusive relationships. She hopes that this podcast will give hope that there is a shiny, bright, new chapter for those listeners and their children.
Whilst it’s ultimately a happy ending, with a discussion about the much broader topic of relationships and dating, with a disabled child in the mix- this episode does contain a TRIGGER WARNING, for those who may be affected by domestic violence. If this isn’t for you- please feel free to skip this episode or return at a later date, when you’re in a different head space.
Trigger and Content Warnings
Domestic abuse, violence, toxic relationships & stalking.
Birth Stories
Diagnosis
Not suitable for little ears
Language - lots of swearing, mentions of drinking alcohol and sex.
Disclaimers
In the interests of privacy, all names, dates and places have been changed. Any similarities in life or death are purely coincidental.
Guest Biography
Prior to having X, Vicky worked in marketing and company turnarounds, for some well-known brands. That said, Vicky describes X as her finest, yet toughest, boss, ever. He’s taught her more than she could ever imagine. She’s convinced that being a parent of a disabled child requires a similar skill set to company turnarounds, although the working hours are far more outrageous, due to X’s nightly seizures.
Vicky also fundraises for a disabled children’s charity and a domestic abuse organisation, which previously helped X and her, when they most needed it. She is ever-grateful to them, and to the NHS, for their incredible work and care of X. She hopes that one day, the government will start to adequately fund them, so that fundraising is no longer required for their essential services.
Resources
https://www.womensaid.org.uk
www.nationaldomesticviolencehelpline.org.uk
www.refuge.org.uk
www.stalkinghelpline.org
Lissencephaly Foundation
www.lissfoundation.org
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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