Blake Leonard is 9 years old and he cares for his mum. He wanted to let other young people know what it is like being a young carer and why he may seem different at times. Below is the speech he gave to his class.
You may be wondering why I am giving this talk. I am here to explain about my role as a young carer. Some of you may know, I care for my mum – she is the one on the mobility scooter.
My mum has Multiple Sclerosis, also known as MS. MS is where scars develop on my mum’s brain and spinal cord, so the signals from her brain do not get through properly. My mum has progressive MS so she will never get better or go into remission. She will just keep getting worse and worse. There is no cure for MS and no successful treatment.
As my mum is unwell, I am one of her main carers. Being a young carer means my life is very different to yours.
I do not get to do simple things like going to the park and having friends round because it is too much for mum to cope with. As some days are really bad and others not so much so it is really hard for us to plan anything or say ‘yes’ ahead of time.
At home I have to help mum a lot as well as do my homework and reading like all of you. I help her by hoovering, loading and emptying the dishwasher, tidying, loading and unloading the washing machine and tumble drier. Sometimes I have to help at meal times and fetch things for my mum when she is unable to get out of bed. I also have a lot of responsibility as I have to remind mum to order and take her medication because her memory is damaged. Alexa helps me with this.
I hope you can understand that I will not be able to do everything that other young people do. I cannot go to the brilliant places that you go to as often and it is really hard for me to have friends around my house – that is probably why I do not get invited to others houses too much.
Being a young carer can be really difficult, but it can also be great fun. We always have a laugh and really make the most of my mum’s good days. My mum is not like your mums’ but I have learnt to adapt to it, concentrate on the important things in life and most of all, I lover her lots even though her body is not working properly any more.
MS is different for everyone and so is being a carers so please do not try and guess what it is like. If you would like to know more, please ask.
