JESS MAY’S SPECIAL DAYS

THE AFFIRMING CELEBRANT

IMAGE: CHARLOTTE BURN

HI I’M JESS MAY, THE AFFIRMING CELEBRANT.

I CREATE ‘AFFIRMING’ WEDDING CEREMONIES WHICH CELEBRATE WHO YOU ARE..

MY STORY WITH NEURODIVERSITY WILL BE AS UNIQUE AS YOURS.

IT STARTED WHEN I WAS 18 MONTHS AND WAS DROPPED ON MY HEAD. I HAD A SEIZURE. WHEN I WAS 7 AND GOT VERY ILL WITH 3-DAY LONG MIGRAINES. WHEN I WAS 12 I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH GENERALISED TONIC CLONIC SEIZURES. WHEN I WAS 19 I WAS PUT ON A DRUG FOR ACNE WHICH IS NOW ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREMELY HIGH SUICIDE RATES. I WAS CATASTROPHICALLY DEPRESSED. I NO LONGER HAVE BIG SEIZURES BUT I HAVE SEIZURES WHICH ARE IDENTIFIED AS ‘PARTIAL COMPLEX’, THEY ORIGINATE IN OUR TEMPORAL LOBES. IT MEANS I HAVE VERY OCCASIONAL TINY ‘BLANK’ MOMENTS AND I’M QUITE CLUMSY.

I HAVE A VERY BAD MEMORY FOR PARTICULAR PARTS OF MY LIFE BECAUSE OF THE TRAUMA. DEPRESSION WOULD COME AND GO OVER THE COURSE OF MY ADULT LIFE. I HAVE LIVED WITH A GREAT DEAL OF BEREAVEMENT AND TRAUMA. I HAVE LEARNED TO BEFRIEND MYSELF AND LIVE WITH IT ALL. IT IS MY STORY AFTER ALL.

MY EPILEPSY MEDICATION IS CALLED LAMOTROGINE AND IS EFFECTIVE IN TREATING MOOD DISORDERS INCLUDING BI-POLAR. I WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF THIS HAS HELPED MY DEPRESSION AS A BI-PRODUCT OF TREATING THE EPILEPSY. I LITERALLY HAVE NO IDEA WHO I WOULD BE WITHOUT IT. I HAVE TAKEN IT FOR 25YEARS. MOST OF THE TIME I DON’T GET DEPRESSED ANYMORE BUT WILL NEVER FORGET HOW BAD IT FELT. IT WAS AND IS AND REMAINS THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. I OWE MY QUALITY OF LIFE TO A LOT OF FANTASTIC COUNSELLING.

PERHAPS BECAUSE OF ALL THIS, I FOUND MYSELF IDENTIFYING MY WHOLE LIFE WITH PEOPLE WHO ALSO HAD A DIFFERENT BRAIN CHEMISTRY. A DIFFERENT DIFFERENCE TO MINE BUT DIFFERENT NONETHELESS. OVER 25 YEARS I HAVE WORKED IN ENABLING ROLES FOR PEOPLE WITH ALL KINDS OF NEURODIVERGENCE AND OFTEN IN COMMUNICATION AND LEARNING SUPPORT.

WE HAVE ALL LEARNED TOGETHER.

I HAVE HAD MASSES OF TRAINING, I DO ‘BSL LEVEL 3’ AND I’M A FULLY QUALIFIED COMMUNICATION SUPPORT WORKER WITH DEAF PEOPLE.

I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT I AM NOT A QUALIFIED ‘MEDICAL OR MENTAL HEALTH’ PROFESSIONAL. I WILL BE A PERSON SHARING YOUR JOURNEY. THE LAST THING ANY BRIDE OR GROOM WANTS TO FEEL LIKE IS A ‘PATIENT’ ON THEIR WEDDING DAY. I HAVE ALWAYS HATED THAT FEELING!

I’VE TOLD YOU MY STORY BECAUSE I’D LIKE TO HEAR YOURS AND SEE WHETHER I CAN OFFER YOU WHAT YOU ASK FOR AND NEED, ALL THE TIPS, TRICKS AND SUPPORT TO ENABLE YOU TO HAVE THE CEREMONY OF YOUR DREAMS, JUST BECAUSE ‘I GET IT’.


A LITTLE INSPIRATION …

 
 
 
 

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JESS MAY’S SPECIAL DAYS - JESS MAY’S SPECIAL DAYS

CHARLOTTE BURN

 

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