Pick Me Up! Special August 2019

Life sometimes tests our limits, but it’s in these difficult moments that our courage really shines through. Brave Louise (pg6) was betrayed in the worst possible way by a man she should have been able to trust. In the end it was her little girl who sparked courage within her to fight back. Ravaged by a cruel disease, Sylvia (pg14) refused to give up. And despite reaching her lowest point, she bravely underwent a life-changing procedure and now feels even more beautiful than before. We believe bravery comes naturally to mums, as it did with Jody (pg8). She willingly accepted her unique family, despite cruel comments from complete strangers. Our hearts go out to mum Carla (pg31). While she blames herself for passing on a genetic condition to her little…

Oops! I think I napped in the sun a tad too long! Hannah Poon, Essex Fiery treat The best way to spend a summers evening is roasting marshmallows on the fire. Taylor Klein, Bristol Brizzle baby! My friend bought my baby this babygrow. A true Bristolian. Miley Mcnama, Bristol Delicious breakie It's never too early for a mimosa - my fiance Matt and I in Florence. Harriet Rose-Gale, South Gloucestershire Ladies with class Afternoon tea to celebrate my 21st birthday with my bestie. Megan Rennie, Bristol Fearsome knights My kids Sam, 9, and Savannah, 7, really got into the Mediaeval spirit when we visited Bodiam Castle near Hastings over the Easter holidays! Amanda Vlietstra, High Wycombe Head in the clouds Paragliding in South Africa. It was such an amazing experience…

Staying with my mum Jackie, then 36, for a few months meant I finally got to meet her fella. I was 16, and Mum had been living with Henry McLevy, then 40, for a while. Everyone called him Harry, and I was dying to get to know him. But as I usually lived with my dad, we hadn’t had the chance to meet until then. Only, once I’d met him, he gave me the creeps. Harry was a big man, with a strong presence. Mum spent hours working, leaving us two at home. One morning as I ran a bath, he appeared behind me. ‘How about I get in, too? I’ll wash your back,’ Harry leered. I was terrified. Running out of the house, I went back to Dad’s. Told…

As I flicked through the online dating website, I paused over a profile that caught my eye. Greg had dark hair and a beard, and I was attracted to his kind smile. Reading through his profile, I noticed we had a lot of things in common – loved comic books and superhero movies… Smiling, I typed out a message. It was February 2016, and as a mum to two-year-old Jayden, I didn’t get out much. So online dating was the only way I could meet new people. There was a spark right from the start Minutes later, Greg, then 24, replied – and for the rest of the evening, messages pinged back and forth. We got on well, and after a few days, we agreed to meet. Excited, I counted…

Wrapping up warm, my boyfriend Martin, 22, and I were spending the day together last November. We'd planned to go Christmas shopping and then to an escape room that his mate Glenn, 28, had booked for us a while back. We both loved the idea of escape rooms. They're events featuring locked rooms, requiring codes and clues to find your way out. We'd already tackled seven rooms – we were hooked! ‘I need to go and find your Christmas present,' Martin said to me, heading off. So we split up and I carried on shopping. He’s taking ages, I thought. What on earth could he be buying? At the time, Martin and I had been together for almost three years, after meeting at school. We were smitten and we always…

Walking into work, I couldn’t stop scratching my skin. ‘You don’t look well, Laura,’ my colleagues said. ‘We’re worried about you.’ To be honest, I was worried about myself, too. Looking in the bathroom mirror, I barely recognised the woman looking back. I looked exhausted, and my body had turned a strange shade of yellow. Even the whites of my eyes looked discoloured. That day, I found myself needing the toilet every half an hour, and my urine was almost black. The GP had given me a blood test the week before, but the results didn’t show anything. It was a mystery. Over the next few days, I started to feel more and more ill, and I stopped going to work. ‘What’s wrong with Mummy?’ my son Warren, four, asked…