On being disabled

A few years ago, I fell down some stairs and broke three bones in my spine. It was then found that the damage was so serious because I had spinal osteoporosis, and that the damaged vertabrae would never heal. So began my life as a disabled person.
Up until then, I'm ashamed to say I'd believed the hype that the majority of so-called disabled people were perfectly able to work, and were just playing the benefits system. This is the image perpetrated by general society in this country. I was wrong.

I rely on benefits now. I have a small pension from the 25 years I worked as a central heating engineer, but after all my bills are paid I have about £25/week left to buy food / clothes / anything else I might need. Without the employment and support allowance (ESA) I get I simply would not be able to live. But I've (almost literally) had to jump through hoops to get to where I am now. ATOS have made my life a complete misery in the recent past by threatening to have my ESA withdrawn if I could not attend a work capability assessment in a different town, offering no advice on how I would actually get there. They did offer to provide the money for a cab, until I told them that the price of a 60 mile  fare would be around £40, then that offer was withdrawn. Eventually I had to pay for a private doctor's letter from my GP before they would agree to carry out the assessment in my own home. I went quite hungry that week.

The lack of support and stress caused by having to rely on third-parties for my money has caused me quite severe depression, which I'm ashamed to say resulted in a suicide attempt at the beginning of this year. Since then a local charity have supported and advised me, for which I will be eternally grateful. But it took a failed sucide attempt before I was pointed in their general direction.

My claim for disibility living allowance is now into it's ninth month, with no clue as to when it will be resolved. The charity who are helping me have told me I have almost no chance of getting it, but that shouldn't stop me applying.

I'm very lucky. I can walk, not far and very slowly, but I can. I'm still fairly young (48) and I have a family around me. I simply cannot imagine how the last few years would have been had I been in a worse position - no family, elderly. The amount of times I have been threatened with having my benefits cut is beyond my recall. I have to completely rely on my 84 year-old mother, and my sister, and my two young sons to be able to live like I do. The thought of how I will get my shopping, or get to the doctors, or whatever when my Mother has gone leaves me in a bit of a panic. My sister tidies my house and keeps my small garden clean. My kids are just wonderful, and never complain when they're ordered to my place for some chore or another. Again, how do people without this support survive? I'm very lucky.

Please read this wonderful post by @LUBOttom and sign the petition if you can.