Change

A personal blog by Charity Manager, Christine

Change

When things change, is it for the better?

We all struggle with change; we get so used to how things were. For us as a family,
change happens all the time, whether it be my husband retiring from his job of 35
years, our eldest daughter going off to university, our youngest daughter getting a job
in the local eatery or James’s carers moving on.
In the disability world, we’ve probably all had to cope with changing something
medical due to stock shortages. When we couldn’t get hold of tracheostomy tubes for
James, it caused no end of issues resulting in neck swelling and infections. However,
thankfully we found a new tube, which is perfect for James, and he is much happier.

Change can be a real struggle for all of us, but when you’re James and have complex
needs, you rely so heavily on having the right people around you. Naturally it’s then
really tough when people move on. But sometimes it can be for the best and you only
realise this later.

You never see how much life changes when you are close to it. You never notice how
people change around you.

As James continues to grow as a person, we can appreciate more where
past influences might potentially have held him back. Particularly now when we can
see new challenges, experiences, and people pushing him forward, helping him to
fulfil his true potential.

So, is change a good thing?
Over the last 18 months with a brand new team, we’re seeing what a
positive difference it has made to James and the family. We have never laughed as
much, and every day is such a joyous time! And as our fantastic Skiggle community
will appreciate, you need to take the laughs when you can as life can be pretty
challenging at times!

Having the confidence to step back and be James’s mum and enjoy watching him
grow and love life has been so satisfying. I’ve also been able to have quality time with
my girls and my husband - making and sharing lasting memories. We’ve been able to
focus on growing the charity and have appointed two new Skiggle Trustees who are
brimming with enthusiasm about our powerful disability charity. Membership of
Skiggle is growing day by day as more and more people are discovering how valuable
our services can be. We saw this in buckets and spades during the holiday season
when people may have been away from their normal environment and needed to
urgently access care products and equipment. For those of you who don’t know the background

to the charity, it was this very scenario that kick-started Skiggle into action.

So, coming back to my original question, is change a good thing?
Yes!! And my advice is “Don’t be afraid of it!” We are truly loving our wonderful
team and a new relaxed life. As my dad would say “a new broom clean sweep!”
Now roll on the next 18 months…

We’d love to hear from our Skiggle members about your experience of change. Get in
touch with us to share your stories – good and bad - and we’ll post them on our
website and social channels.