Sophie uses BendyBlogs to talk about her experiences of chronic illness, about invisible disability and becoming visibly disabled, as well as her normal everyday life, with thousands of readers.
Sophie began BendyBlogs in 2017 just two months after being officially diagnosed with the connective tissue disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Sophie first became disabled at age 14 as a result of EDS which causes fatigue, joint pain and dislocations, as well as Post Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Though Sophie’s chronic illnesses meant she needed a wheelchair to get about and made it difficult to finish her GCSEs, her EDS diagnosis only came years later, when she was 20 years old.
Sophie’s blog works to dispel some of the myths around disability and offers advice and support for other people with chronic illnesses. Sophie has also blogged about her own experience of depression, which was published by health community website ‘The Mighty’ leading to a Sophie becoming a regular contributor.
Despite illness interrupting her education, Sophie has gained multiple qualifications. She has already become a qualified bookkeeper and has just finished her accountancy training all while completing a BA (Hons) in Business Studies. Sophie works as a finance assistant at Bridgend College and shares her experience of working for a disability confident employer, with tips. She has also launched a campaign with the charity Scope promoting accessibility in schools, to ensure using a wheelchair is not a barrier to education.
Sophie has also raised hundreds of pounds for an EDS charity.