{"id":26437,"date":"2025-01-14T15:35:25","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alliance-scotland.org.uk\/humansofscotland\/?p=26437"},"modified":"2025-01-14T15:39:26","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T15:39:26","slug":"zoes-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alliance-scotland.org.uk\/humansofscotland\/zoes-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Zoe’s story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Some people have said I\u2019m not like a normal teenager but I\u2019ve never known anything different. My mum was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was seven and I\u2019ve been helping to look after her ever since. I\u2019m 19 now and studying for a degree, I want to be a learning disability nurse. I help out a lot around the house, cooking dinner, and helping Mum with whatever she needs at home. It can be challenging at times. When you make new friends, they will often say \u2018We are going out, are you coming with us?\u2019 But I can\u2019t do that. I have to check with my mum and make sure she is okay and whether or not she needs me for anything. She would always want me to go out and enjoy myself and I know most of the time she would be fine but I\u2019m not comfortable unless I check first. I just need to make sure anything she needs is taken care of before I go anywhere. It gives me peace of mind and means I can enjoy myself rather than worrying about her.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are times when it can be overwhelming. There is obviously an emotional side to it and I do have anxiety. But a lot of young people don\u2019t realise there is help available. I applied for a Young Carer Grant and I was eligible for three payments from the age of 16 to 18. The money made a big difference. Last year, I was able to buy a car and it\u2019s made life easier, being able to get out and about. I can take my Mum out or pick up shopping. The money was obviously really helpful but it was really good to just be recognised, and realise that you are doing something which has a real value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

This story has been shared in connection with the ALLIANCE’s ‘Stories of Caring, A Concert for Caring Special’<\/a> showcasing the different experiences of care and caring in Scotland.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some people have said I\u2019m not like a normal teenager but I\u2019ve never known anything different. My mum was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when I was seven and I\u2019ve been helping to look after her ever since. I\u2019m 19 now and studying for a degree, I want to be a learning disability nurse. I help … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":109,"featured_media":26438,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"26254,26124,24164,25192,26170,26281","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"hos-category":[743],"humans_tags":[846,577],"area_of_work":[776],"strategic_priority":[813],"class_list":["post-26437","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","hos-category-concert-for-caring-special","humans_tags-long-term-conditions","humans_tags-young-adult-carer","area_of_work-humans-of-scotland","strategic_priority-voice-of-lived-experience"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nZoe's story - Humans of Scotland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.alliance-scotland.org.uk\/humansofscotland\/zoes-story\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zoe's story - Humans of Scotland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Some people have said I\u2019m not like a normal teenager but I\u2019ve never known anything different. 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