Hindsight is an amazing thing, I would love nothing more than to travel back in time and tell my 14 year old self that my overactive imagination, my constant worrying about the world and my amazing ability to think outside the box all stemmed from undiagnosed ADHD. I would tell her not to worry because even without knowing this my life was going to be fantastic and these traits would actually enable me to create something amazing and make a difference to people’s lives.
I’ve spent much of my life feeling like I had the endurance of a Duracell battery. Nothing ever really fazed me but internally my overactive imagination which is my power was also my worst enemy. That endurance did not manifest as hyperactivity in behaviour - far from it, that hyperactivity was in my brain. To me, it was normal. I could never understand why people always commented on my drive and ability to just get on with things - wasn’t everyone like that?
But there is always an opposite to everything in life and my internal brain was constantly in a state of fight or flight. I am defensive, it’s a protection technique, because my brain always thinks something is wrong.
Is there a Link Between ADHD, Anxiety, and MS?
I can see every situation as a positive and negative. This makes everything really difficult because I will think the absolute worst in any situation, even though it is completely unlikely to happen my brain will still go there. Imagine putting your brain through the worst scenario every time - imagine the constant damage that does to your body and to your nervous system. This in itself made me question the link between undiagnosed ADHD and my multiple sclerosis.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2003 not long after my son was born. It didn’t really have an impact on my life until around 2016 when my walking went downhill. By 2018 and I was using walking aids and a wheelchair and that led me to really focus on my health and what I expose my body to. I think it was Gabor Mate who said that 98% of diseases are caused by stress and so I started to change how I lived my life.
During covid one of my stepsons kept saying he thought he had ADHD, we were the typical people who said ‘nah, your behaviours don’t align with that’ based on our naivety on understanding ADHD fully. How wrong we were and we openly admit that. Since then, all three of my stepsons and my husband have been diagnosed with it. It became a big focus of ours to understand it more, and with that we recognised that my son had some of the same presentation of traits that my stepsons showed. My husband kept saying I also had them, I had never ever considered it until that moment but as my son got diagnosed I started to reflect on so many of his childhood and teenage behaviours that were similar to mine. When I read some of his questionnaires for the diagnosis it was like going back in time to my teens and young adulthood.
Purpl: A Mission-Driven Business
Prior to the ADHD diagnosis I had already started to launch my business Purpl - as a disabled person, I recognised how expensive it was living with a disability and it felt unfair to me that everyone else got discounts (students, key-workers, carers, NHS etc) but the disabled community had been left behind.
Purpl launched this year and our website has been open since July. I want to help people save money but also Purpl has a real social cause at the heart of it. It’s about giving back to disabled charities, bringing the community together and my long term plan is to launch a foundation so I can give grants to those who need extra financial support. We also actively support disabled entrepreneurs and work closely with people within the community with a common goal of helping to make a difference.
Learning about my ADHD has been enlightening and so many things make sense now. I know without a doubt that it is the underlying ADHD that has really supercharged my business. I have no qualms in reaching out to anyone and I am constantly thinking about my community and how best to help them. It’s what has allowed us to grow Purpl so quickly and to know we are already helping people save money is just amazing.
We now have over 170 brands working with us including brands like Ocado, Poundland, Hoover, Currys, Virgin Experience Days, EE, The Perfume Shop and so many more big names. Plus more offers and brands are being added every week.
It’s really important for me to express here that Purpl is not just about discounts - it’s about bringing people together. Our blog is starting to fill with stories from our community members, this is key not only for inspiring others but also for shared learning. My experiences with my long term health condition might be valuable to someone else who has the same disabilities. I also know that no one gives you a handbook when you become disabled so I want to also ensure we have relevant information and signposting for further advice.
One of Purpl's core goals is to give back to disabled charities once we start turning a profit. And, in the long term, I plan to launch a foundation to provide direct grants to individuals within the disabled community who need extra financial support to help them gain access to essential equipment or therapies that can significantly improve their daily lives. There is nothing worse than seeing someone having to fundraise for a new wheelchair.
Forging Partnerships That Matter
Meeting Abbas and learning about Differently Perfect, I knew we had to work together. It’s a great fit and I absolutely love the name. I definitely feel ‘Differently Perfect’ myself! Their t-shirts are amazing and I know our community will love them. I am very excited that Purpl is offering 15% off for new customers so they can discover the delights of Differently Perfect’s online shop.
In regards to signing up - we accept many different documents including disability benefit letters, blue badge (photo side), disabled bus and train passes, the Access card, CEA card, Disabled ID (DID) Card and more. Please read our upload guide first for advice on documents we accept and also our support page for most common errors. We are always happy to help and remember to check your junk folder for our discount offers and replies to any email you send us.
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