A chocolatier's path back to wellbeing from ME
Mary Ann O’Brien, 55, mother, entrepreneur, Senator in the Irish parliament and chocolatier, shares an inspiring story of conquering her health challenges... 'The only thing that really matters in life is to wake up in the morning fit and healthy.' 'Until I was 30, I was super-well, very high energy, loved life and never said no to anything. Then I woke up one day feeling flu-y, with a tummy upset, and slowly everything started to close down.
I suffered ferocious headaches, felt very weak and my tummy problems got worse. My brain couldn’t focus for a phone call. I couldn’t read the newspaper.
The doctor told me I had ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), linked to the Epstein Barr virus (EBV ), which had started in my gut and spiralled out of control. [EBV is also linked to glandular fever.] I probably picked it up in Mexico. I went there a well-padded ten stone and came back very skinny and dehydrated, having lost two stone in three weeks.
It took two years to get well. I found an amazing doctor in Ireland, who practises conventional medicine alongside homeopathy and natural medicine. He told me to eat like my grandparents did – nothing out of packets, and organic whenever possible. He sent me to the Mayr Clinic in Austria, where I learned that the health of your immune system is largely dependent on the health of your gut.
My doctor insisted I practise yoga and meditation. I became ill because I was under a huge amount of stress. I had to learn to listen to my body and I went on to train as a yoga teacher. Now we live in the middle of nowhere with horses, hens and four rescue dogs, and I grow my own vegetables.
I discovered chocolate-making in a little village near Cape Town in 1992. My husband Jonathan Irwin took me there while I was recovering from ME . I ended up spending five days in the kitchen with a wonderful chocolatier then returned with a mini chocolate factory in my suitcase and eventually set up Lily O’Brien’s Chocolates, named after my eldest child.
I lost two of my five children. John died at birth but his twin Phonsie survived, thank goodness. Then my fourth child Jack was born and the paediatrician told us he had no chance of ever being well. He couldn’t see, hear or swallow and he had epileptic fits all the time. Jack died when he was 22 months old.
Watching your child suffer is like a dagger in your soul 24 hours a day. After eight months we were at breaking point. Friends raised £5,000 and we were able to pay for home nursing. That allowed us to sleep and to think clearly, and we then had the idea of setting up the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation (www.jackandjill.ie) to give home nursing and help to other parents struggling with a very ill child (under four) in Southern Ireland.
On 5 November 1999 Molly, our magic baby, was born. She did not replace the two babies who died but she healed our hearts.
• Lily O’Brien’s Chocolates are available at supermarkets nationwide, www.lilyobriens.ie
Half the many thousands of falls suffered by older people take place in a home environment, according to Age UK. Some will need hospital attention and others may lose their confidence. With elderly relatives likely to visit at Christmas, it is worth making simple ‘fall-proof’ changes. These include removing loose rugs or carpets, wires and extension cords, and clutter in main walkways; ensuring rooms and corridors are well-lit; mopping up spills immediately; using non-slip bathroom mats and checking that older people’s shoes or boots are securely fastened and the soles have a good grip. More ideas and information in the Slips, Trips and Falls ebook, which can be downloaded from www.telmenow.com, a website that provides technology and advice so elderly people can live independently.
My Christmas message: please find out where your nearest A&E is, check that anyone with prescription drugs has enough for the festive break, and that you have a well-stocked first-aid box (visit www.firstaidforlife.org.uk for a list). Have a wonderful holiday.