Pick Me Up! Special January Special 2018

Sometimes it feels like the odds are stacked against us, but this month, we’ve been amazed by so many women who have simply refused to give up, and defied them, even in the darkest of times. Terminally ill Emma (pg32) was told that keeping her unborn baby wasn’t an option, but she took a risk for the son she thought she’d never have. Anorexia had such a grip on Nicola (pg34) that her family were told to say their goodbyes, but she headed to the sun and transformed herself mentally and physically. While Lizzie (pg40) was so heartbroken at the death of her dog that she ‘died’ too! But it turned out that she was in the perfect place to be brought back to life. You won’t be able to…

“If I hug you too hard you will explode” Tara, 5, Stevenage A day at the beach What a stunning view of the beach! January might not be ideal beach weather, but my hubby and I love going down there on brisk mornings. Jenny, Reading How funny! What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear ha Tastes better than it looks I made this healthy ‘egg cup’ as a way to start eating healthy. It’s made with eggs, spinach and onion – scrambled together and baked in a muffin tray. Jackie, Plymouth How funny!  Why did the cookie go to the doctor? It was feeling crumby Dude looks like a lady Our local winter carnival saw men in drag this year! It was…

‘I loved him so I forgave him’ At 17 and single, I felt flattered when a cute lad messaged me. You’re gorgeous, it read. I’d never met James McCourt, also 17, but we had mutual Facebook friends. He made me smile and laugh as we chatted online. We got together a few weeks later, in February 2015. I studied hairdressing while James worked on building sites. ‘You’ll be with me forever,’ he promised. James was attentive, but he could also be immature. When we moved in together, there were ups and downs. James could flip over nothing. Throwing things at me then begging for forgiveness. Frightened, I always caved in. It won’t happen again, I always told myself. On 4 June, we’d been out with my mum, Susan, 51, at…

‘I wore a mask for two years’ I’ve always loved my 36F boobs, but I hated my face – specifically, the acne scars on my chin. They weren’t terrible, but they bothered me. So, in 2009, after watching Channel 4’s 10 Years Younger, I had an idea. ‘I want a chemical peel,’ I told my husband John, now 41. The process uses liquids to remove dead skin cells and stimulate the growth of new cells, evening out skin tone. ‘You don’t need it,’ John said. ‘But, if it makes you happy, do it.’ So, in February 2009, I paid about £1,000 for the peel at an apparently reputable clinic. As the doctor painted the fluid onto my face, with extra layers on my chin, it was agony. ‘It feels as…

‘I'll always sound this way’ Watching telly, I turned to my hubby Patrick, 47. ‘I don’t feel well…’ I said. ‘Your face is drooping, Sarah,’ he said, panicking. Then I collapsed, paralysed. Raced to hospital, paramedics struggled to understand my slurred speech. ‘You had a stroke,’ a doctor explained to me. The subsequent brain damage had left me with ultra-rare foreign accent syndrome. My Devon drawl had been replaced with a Chinese accent. ‘But I’ve never even been to China!’ I said. Released a few days on, I needed physiotherapy and speech therapy. I tried to stay positive, but it was tough sometimes. Just asking for a normal item at a shop caused confusion. ‘That’s a strange accent,’ they’d say. ‘Where are you from?’ ‘I’m still Sarah from Plymouth!’ I…

‘I was getting my eyebrows done’ It’s hard to look good at 39 weeks pregnant. So I thought I’d get my eyebrows tinted. I’d been seeing beautician Audrey, 40, for two years. She was pregnant as well and due the week after me! At my visit on 21 October 2015, I told Audrey that I’d recently had a trickle and thought that my waters had broken. She said I should get checked right away. So when I left hers, I called A&E, who told me I should go straight in. My hubby Alex, 35, met me at Southmead Hospital. ‘You didn’t need to come,’ I said. ‘I’ll be out in a few hours!’ How wrong I was…! It seems my waters had actually broken four days earlier – and I’d…