The Sunflower Conversations

Bowel cancer, LARS syndrome and stoma with Amanda Strother Amanda was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 31 years old. After a successful operation to remove the cancer she developed major LARS which meant that not only was she in pain, she also needed to use the toilet between 30 to 40 times a day. Eventually Amanda elected to undergo further surgery to have a colostomy bag and refers to this as the...

Post-Concussion Syndrome Holly Tyrer lives in Hollywood, California and had her dream job as a Script Supervisor. She was diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome (PCS) after an accident at work which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. Holly explains how it has altered every aspect of her life. She experiences sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and tremor and migraines. Her speech is also af...

Suddenly hit by PTSD with Danielle Allen Danielle Allen is a mum to three children. Her eldest son Louis was born with a congenital heart condition called Coarctation of the aorta. Suddenly six years later, and following the traumatic experience of Louis undergoing heart surgery  at 10 days old, Danielle experienced what she describes as a big black cloud which came from nowhere.    She describes...

Radiation caused my hidden disability with Kellie La Follett Kellie La Follett was caught in an unexpected mass radiation incident at the school she worked in. Unfortunately Kellie was sitting at the epi centre of the radiation which has left Kellie in pain 24 hours a day that has increased over time. In-spite of the extreme pain and light sensitivity that Kellie lives with she has campaigned to e...

On the Road series - Living with Fibromyalgia  Sue McIntosh developed fibromyalgia after being involved in a traffic collision. No longer able to continue her career as an advanced driver in the Police force, she has since learnt how to self manage her symptoms and daily activities, such as driving, shopping and working. Mindfulness has been hugely beneficial to Sue, as has a change of career into...

Older Drivers Forum A national forum made up of a group of organisations that support the older motorist to drive safely for longer. They welcome drivers via their website to be informed and be kept up to date with the latest motoring advice. Aiming to reduce the number of deaths on the road, they offer superb advice to the older motorist. Their most recent campaign covered eyesight, renewing your...

Let’s talk about intersectional support with Marcus Morgan-Valentine Marcus Morgan-Valentine has dyslexia, narcolepsy, cataplexy, osteomalacia, chronic costocondritus, dyslexia and IBS . He is a youth worker, and performer, and is passionate about advocating for people that have hidden disabilities. At the age of 11 he was involved in a car accident and that was when the symptoms of narcolepsy sta...

Ehler Danlos Syndrome with Mik Lenth Mik Lenth is 19 and lives in the MidWest in the US and has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which affects her connective tissue. The type that Mik has is hypermobility which means that her joints come out of place and dislocate. Mik talks us through her condition and how it has affected her growing up, particularly at school and how it continued into employment. Th...

Supporting families with additional needs Benedict Symcox is CEO of charity, Family Voice Surrey, which is a parent carer forum. We learn how they engage with parents of children with additional needs, of which there are over 30,000 families in Surrey. They use the lived experiences of real people to help inform the council's policy making and services. By listening to parents and carers they...

Neurodiverse and Tourette Syndrome Kez Symcox is neurodiverse, and has comorbidities, including: autism spectrum disorder, Tourette Syndrome, generalised anxiety disorder, depression, an eating disorder, PTSD traits, chronic fatigue syndrome, functional neurological disorder, and is awaiting an ADHD assessment. We chat to Kez and her mum, Benedicte, to find out what their normal is.  After many ye...

Aphasia and Epilepsy with Tom Ryan Tom Ryan-Elliott has epilepsy and aphasia because of a brain injury he received while on holiday in Las Vegas. He has no recollection of the accident and has had several years of rehabilitation.  His epilepsy gives him Simple Focal and Atonic Clonic seizures, and the aphasia affects his speech and language processing. Over time he has developed coping strategies...

Open heart surgery and asthma with Paul Shriever In this podcast we talk to Hidden Disability Sunflower team member - Paul Shriever. Paul chats about his own invisible disabilities - in his thirties with a young family Paul was admitted to A&E and told that he needed life saving open heart surgery- the treatment he received was a mitral heart valve replacement (titanium). The trauma of this ex...

Autism, ADHD, Anxiety and PCOS with Saxon Boone Saxon Boone lives in  Canada.  Saxon finally received her diagnosis of autism after teachers thought that she was a problem child.  Additionally she has ADHD, anxiety and Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PSOC). Her health conditions are intertwined  and the medication she takes to balance her hormones for PSOC can affect her mood which then affects her...

Anxiety and Depression with Maddie White Maddie White has anxiety and depression which sometimes makes it difficult for her to navigate daily life, especially when out in a public place on her own. Maddie often feels uncomfortable if she needed to ask a stranger for help finding something in a shop or asking for directions if unsure of where to go, when taking public transport. In this conversatio...

Either Off or On - living with Fibromyalgia with Paul Pengelly In this Sunflower Conversation, Paul Pengelly discusses how fibromyalgia impacts his physical and mental health.  It took almost three years for Paul to be diagnosed and his acceptance of his condition has been key to making adjustments, from pacing his life to using a scooter as well as making useful changes to his home environment. ...

PTSD with Darren Carew Darren Carew was a career solider in the Army until an accident occurred which would change his life forever. In this conversation Darren explains how his whole world was turned upside down by the accident which has left him an amputee with a mild brain trauma, dyscalculia and PTSD. We talk about the impact his conditions have had on him and his family. Darren has since gone...

Autism and Alcohol with Matthew Tinsley Matthew Tinsley has a degree in Modern Languages and had a long career as a bookseller in independent bookshops.  In this conversation Matthew explains how his alcohol addiction and his diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome Condition are linked. After many years struggling with alcoholism and two failed marriages, he overcame his addiction - largely due to his self...

Autistic, Dyspraxic and Microdeletion on a chromosome with Lorina Lorina is 18 years old is autistic and dyspraxic, and also has a rare condition called microdeletion on a chromosome. These conditions mean that she has learning difficulties and has struggled to socialise and understand social cues from people. After being told that it was unlikely that she would be able to ride a bike due to balan...

Inclusive shopping experience at The Trafford Centre Zoe Inman, the Centre Director at one the UK’s largest shopping centres, The Trafford Centre , talks to us about why disability inclusion is so important to them. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower is integral to their wide-reaching accessibility program that includes staff training and development across a range of disabilities to support their...

ADHD, Epilepsy, PTSD and Autism with Mark Charlesworth Mark Charlesworth has a multitude of health conditions including, autism, ADHD, epilepsy and PTSD that were diagnosed later in life. In this conversation we hear how Mark has altered his working pattern to his advantage. He now advises businesses to recognise the talents that exist in neuro diverse employees and how to support them. Mark also...

Dyspraxia, ADHD, Dyscalculia and Damp with Bailey Bailey is in a mainstream secondary school and has the following health conditions, dyspraxia, attention deficit disorder, dyscalculia and DAMP which means Deficits in Attention, Motor Control and Perception.   Parents, Steven and Aneeta, tell us how Bailey has exceeded the limitations of her diagnosis with support from them. Bailey’s experiences a...

The Brighton COVID NHS Mass Vaccination Centre, Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust   With up to 3,000 vaccines administered a day, The Brighton Vaccination Centre is the largest hub in Sussex. Staff have received the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower training and have been welcoming people through their doors. With that many appointments every day it is a slick operation. The pandemic has been incr...

How does the Sunflower help families with autisitc spectrum disorder? with Sarah Hughes In her final dissertation for a Master of Science in Psychology, Sarah Hughes researched the experiences of eight families with autistic members to explore the barriers that exist to everyday life and how choosing to wear the Sunflower could potentially help. Sarah found that the parents valued the Sunflower as...

Not every autistic person is the same, everyone is different, as are the variety of occupations available to all of us. So, we ask “why is the employment gap for autistic people so vast?” In this podcast we are joined by Mike Adams of Purple, Matt Putts of Employment Horizons and Paul White, Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, to discuss what barriers currently exist to employment, not just for autisti...

Autism and comordities with Maria Cook Maria Cook is very candid about the multitude of hidden disabilities that her son, Ryan, has. They include autism, development delay, significant learning disabilities, sensory processing disorder, sensory modulation difficulties, hyperacusis and synesthesia.  Maria is Ryan’s champion and voice as she has had to navigate the various diagnosis’ and adapt to th...