Hello My Name is Jordan O’Brien. I live in Swindon and I am going to tell you about my life story. My life has been a difficult roller-coaster.

It all started when my poor mum had chicken pox when I was born. It made me seriously ill in hospital and I was in there for a while. It caused me to have some conditions like chronic lung disease which makes my immune system weak and makes it fragile to chest infections.

My swallowing got damaged which makes me not being able to eat so I have a micky button and I’m fed through a pump. I have a paralysed left vocal cord and I have cerebral palsy in my legs with brittle bone disease.

I caught Meningitis when I was 10 years old, it all started when I started feeling ill at school then one day in the week of school I came home and went to lay down in my bed then the next thing I knew was my mum came up to check on me and I screamed the house down cause I was blind, I couldn’t see her. That’s the only thing I remember from it.

I was in a coma for a couple of months having seizers in and out, my doctors told my parents if I ever did wake up I wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or hold my head up. I finally woke up and I remember not being able to hold my head up when my mum was holding me in her arms.

It’s a struggle most of the time when trying to get on with life with what I have to deal with, such as my chronic lung disease cause of my breathing and running out of breath. My cerebral palsy and brittle bone disease which makes it hard to walk all the time I get serious pains in my legs and ribs. Its very hard to go out most days cause of all my health conditions. Not being able to eat and drink is very difficult because of not being able to taste anything through my life and now and the socialising part of it.

I’ve been through so much in my life and more, but I’ve never let my health hold me back from getting on with my life and trying my best in life. I finished school and college, and am now learning how to drive and volunteering at a charity shop which I love and never thought I would do any of this with what I’ve been through in the past and now with my health.

I want to tell everyone about my life story just to help younger people in my same position with the same life difficulties as mine, just want to say never give up and just look back on how far you have come and what you have achieved in life.

Just hold your head up high and be proud of who you are and smile - just take one day at a time.