Pick Me Up! 02-Jan-2020

Hand-in-hand with my husband Paul, 32, he guided me through the shopping centre. It was just another normal day in my life - with my husband acting as my eyes. I’d been born with damage to the optic nerve in my left eye, so I was completely blind in that eye, and my right had limited visibility, too. As I was growing up, I leaned on my parents for everything. Then, at 18, that’s when I met Paul. It took four long years to get him By this point, my right eye had nearly lost all its vision from working so hard. But despite knowing the commitment he’d have to give me, Paul was so supportive. Just like my parents, he took on the responsibility of being my eyes, and…

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This is my daughter when she was younger. We thought it would do instead of a ‘Beware of the dog’ sign. It made us laugh! Emine Salih My beautiful new baby grandson Kieran looks so wise at the grand age of just two weeks old! J. Wilkins, Somerset This is my wonderful daughter Italia. Big hair girl, big hair! Angela Garvin, Essex My daughter Lisa and granddaughter Mia enjoying the snow last year. Mia loved it! Mary Hadley, Cradley Heath Family selfie! Me, Amari and Antony having a lovely family holiday in Corfu. Sian Salsbury, Cradley Heath If your letter makes Star Letter of the week, you will receive some beautiful blooms from Flying Flowers. With over 30 years’ experience of helping celebrate life’s special moments and FREE delivery by…

Perched on the end of my bed, I typed out an angry text message to my boyfriend. You better answer the phone, I typed frantically. It was April 2008, I was 17, and in a heated argument with my then fella, John*, 21. I was getting ready for bed in the home I shared with my mum and dad, Jill* and Darren*, now both 60, in Durham, when the disagreement erupted. The row was about something silly and insignificant, but at the time, it felt like the end of the world. We’d got together when I was 15, and at five years older than me, I was head over heels for John. Still, he sometimes treated me like a child, which made me so angry. I dialled his number, ready…

I opened the door and was faced with a police officer who was asking after me. I was 28 by then, the events of that night having completely shaped my life. ‘We’ve found the man who attacked you, he’s been arrested,’ the officer explained sincerely. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Suddenly, my legs buckled and I collapsed to the floor. I fell to the floor in utter shock My dad came rushing to my side, armed with a full-fat Coke to try and stop me from shaking. ‘I can’t believe it,’ I stuttered, feeling relieved and overwhelmed at the same time. My attacker’s name was Henry Spark, and he was 69. I was told that he was on his way to work as a delivery driver the night…

Staggering out of the bathroom, I took a deep breath. ‘You OK?’ my husband Romek, 33, asked, looking concerned. ‘I will be in a while,’ I moaned, turning on my heels and heading back to the loo, my hand over my mouth. It was November 2018, and at just two months pregnant, I was suffering with awful morning sickness. Still, despite spending several hours a day hugging a toilet bowl, I was so excited. After tying the knot the year before, Romek and I wanted to start trying for a baby right away, and so in September 2018, when a pregnancy test showed up positive, we were over the moon. We couldn’t wait to meet our bundle of joy, and spent the next few months doing everything we could to…