Day 6: Two communities respond #107days

We are asking people who have adopted days to share with us some thoughts on why they have adopted a day from #107days and why #JusticeforLB is important to them. We are then featuring highlights in the daily blog post, today Katie Peacock shares:

I was first introduced to LB via the Get Steven Home facebook group, Mark (Neary – Day 5), was sharing Sara’s blogs. Being a social care type and a mum of two young adults, I quickly connected with Sara and the dreadful path that LB and his family were on, this was way before day 107…On day 107 I read Sara’s blog but had to search Mark Neary’s blog and the Get Steven Home group – I couldn’t believe what I was reading, I was like, you are misunderstanding this Katie! But to my horror – No! LB was dead. I cried. And then I told as many people as I could. Starting with my team, RTing, emailing our CTLD amongst others.

I’ve spent my adult life supporting people, training teams, advocating with and for people and their families. I am currently managing a team of ‘outstandingly awesome’ PAs, we are living proof that there is a better way! We work in a ‘family-led’ way. However, we have been caught up in what feels like a ‘Kafka-esque’ world of ‘professionals’, where ‘they’ know best.

From my total disbelief at Connor’s death I now believe that we ALL have a duty to stop something like this from happening again. Sara and family are not only brave enough to fight and demand justice for LB but to fight for all the dudes and dudettes. The least I can do is stand by them.

So Day 6 – two small Yorkshire villages are coming together, Sutton in Craven (where I live) and neighbouring Cross Hills are offering a day of connecting and awareness raising. We have been busy making friendship bracelets, our belief is similar to that African proverb It takes a village to raise a child. We all need friends and relationships, no service can take their place, not even the better ones. We have made bracelets in red which symbolise LBs London busses and purple ones for epilepsy awareness Purple Day. We’ve had bracelet making sessions in the car, in the pub, round kitchen tables, friends far and wide have been making them then posting them up to us and Lucy (12 yr old daughter of one of our great PAs) has been selling them in school.

Our local park tearoom has volunteered to host an all day (12-5) community cafe for us. Again our thinking is about sitting down and sharing food with folk in our community. Jim and I have made huge pans of homemade soup – in fact Jim has grown some of the veg and a local greengrocer has donated the rest. Friends have been baking and more are baking fresh in the morning. We have a raffle with fabulous prizes, all donated by local businesses. Corinne has worked tirelessly visiting local shops taking in our letter talking about LB. It’s interesting how many people have been touched by epilepsy. The reaction from everyone has been one of shock leading to them getting behind us and LB. The raffle will be drawn in the evening. A local Italian restaurant is hosting a speciality charity themed night and will make a donation to us.

We opted for Day 6 as it falls the day before ‘Purple Day’ 26th March – which is also significant as someone we love and care about is visiting the National Hospital to see a world expert in epilepsy!