Your stories
22nd October 2018
Kaela has been a member of Shine, through her family for about 10 years and a member of the This Is Me Facebook group since she was 13.
The family become members to meet others in similar circumstances and later, for Kaela to make friends with girls her own age. Shine has helped by allowing Kaela to feel she has a place where she can chat to other teenagers with her condition and about her medical issues without the fear of being judged or bullied.
Shine, through the This is Me facebook group is invaluable for Kaela and a residential holiday organised a few years ago has gained Kaela some lifelong friends.
In the future, we'd like to see Shine offer more activities for older children. Kaela is not socially confident and many Shine activities are aimed at younger ones. It's kept her from going to things recently, as she finds it embarrassing being one of the oldest ones there.
Kaela values the Facebook group and has often sought advice there and been able to help others. Kaela would love more specific teenage events and social meet ups and in particular would love another residential holiday - as a family, we'd be more than happy to contribute financially if it helped it to go ahead.
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If you've been affected or inspired by Kaela's story, you can help Shine to support more people just like her by donating £5. Simply text DOIT05 £5 to 70070, your donation will help pay for an information pack containing vital information for new members at a crucial stage in their lives.
Shine welcomed 772 new members in 2016, that's a total of £3860 before we've even began to deliver services. Your small donation could make a big difference.