I am an Independent Occupational Therapist & an expert patient with many years experience self-managing complex health conditions. I began my working life in the sport and Outdoor Adventure industries. After being diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, I returned to study and gained a BSc in Occupational Therapy from the University of Northampton, where I was named Changemaker Student of the Year 2016. This is in part to recognise my efforts as a volunteer for the HMSA, for helping to bring Wheelchair Basketball to the university and for my blogging and online advocacy starting in 2013. The final noteworthy reason was my final placement, which made me the UK’s first OT practitioner to work in the travel industry. I finished my degree in September 2016 after 5 years, thousands of miles of travel, 57 nights in 4 different hospitals, 5 different A&Es (some more than once), 4 ambulance trips, countless hospital and GP appointments, 3 work placements, living in student accommodation, hotels and friends’ houses.