Life can be difficult for those living with a chronic illness. It can be even harder when your illness is seemingly invisible to your friends and colleagues.
Craig Brown knows this only too well.
He was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2015.
He shared his story to mark International Day of People with Disabilities and to raise awareness of the support he's received through Sellafield's Chronic Illness Peer Support Network - known as ChIPS.
He said:
If you see me around, I'm usually ok. This is because I have medication to control my symptoms. To a large extent they are invisible. Unless my medication wears off.
When it comes to chronic illnesses, quite a lot of them have invisible symptoms. But we all share a fairly common theme. Firstly, it's coming to terms with the condition and secondly, it's managing day to day with controlling those symptoms.
About 15% of the working age population have a disability. More of than half of those are disabilities that are not visible. Many people with disabilities want to work or continue to work.
He added:
ChIPS is here to provide help, advice and support to people dealing with chronic illness. Whether that's someone with chronic illness, their line manager, or someone caring for someone with a chronic illness.
You're not alone and you're not invisible.
Employees can find out more about the ChIPS network on the Sellafield Ltd intranet site.
