I visited The Real World today so that I could attend a hospital appointment for a routine check up on my kidneys, Bob and Dave.…
Whilst I was in Cambridge last week, things were starting to accelerate with the spread of the Coronavirus that causes COVID19. News from America and…
I participated in a webinar about research into Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) and ketosis the other day and was quite pleased to hear such a measured take…
My primary goal for 2020 is to be a stronger and more confident me. But if I’m honest, it’s a goal that I have been heading…
And with that, it’s time for another annual re-cap post. Although quite how we’ve got to 31 December 2019, I couldn’t tell you! Yet, here…
Today is Thursday, 21 February. I was born on Thursday, 21 February. And on this very Thursday, 21 February, I am 21 in Scrabble tiles.…
I am a widow. I was widowed when I was a young woman of 35 and my life has never been the same since. In the…
It is Mental Health Awareness Week here in the UK, so I thought I’d share a bit about my recent efforts to keep my mental health in…
It’s Christmas Eve Eve (which means that tomorrow is Christmas Eve) and I am acutely aware that this Christmas is different from all of my…
It has now been 12 weeks since I broke my ankle, and I’m pleased to say that I am well on the road to recovery. Though,…
Regular Just Frances readers will know that I have a rare bleeding disorder called idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP). But what they may not know is that…
I broke my ankle a little over six weeks ago. At first, there was a bit of novelty to my first-ever broken bone. After a couple…
I need to start this post by saying that I know I am not overweight and I don’t think that I am fat by any…
Last week was the School of Computing PhD Conference, where all PhD students were expected to present their research. It was a long, busy day—especially as I was…
I want to have adventures. Ideally, I want to have some of those adventures with someone I love. Or at least I’d like to have some…
For the last six years, I have experienced a wide variety of what I call “widow dreams”. Some are more upsetting than others, but they…
Yesterday marked one calendar year since I matriculated as a research student in the Institute for Informatics and Digital Innovation at Edinburgh Napier University. It’s hard to believe…
Today’s creative writing prompt was simple: Craft a story or a poem based on the metaphor “A flourish of hate”. Only it wasn’t actually simple at all.…
This guest post was written by Kimberly Light, mother to a 6-year-old ITP patient, as part of my ITP Awareness Month Iceless Challenge. If you want to share…
This guest post was written by my baby sister, Royann. My desire for ITP Awareness Month is to help educate others and I’m pleased that this post…