Pick me up TruePDF 28 march 2019

Without Georgina, there’s a massive hole in our livesMy lovely girl – missing for Days blurred into each other as we waited for any scrap of news that would instant, I’d know by the way

BIG CASH PRIZES

Please help me get Georgina home

Forced into a life

Sneaky peek at this week!

42 Only 6 but he begged for a new face

46 Tragic tot: Killed over

a footie match?

More real life

14 Shrinking potion needed!

24 A bit of slap & tickle

31 Bingo winners

34 Foster care in crisis

50 One dach-ing couple!

PMU value

12 Deals of the week!

23 Genius or totally bonkers?

40 ops… and a life!

18 Your health news

ones again, but

the bonus is you

can give them back

But my brother Billy,

62, and his wife Sue, 63,

go above and beyond in

their roles as grandpa

and grandma

They lost their son – my

dear nephew Darren, 36,

in November 2015

It was a total shock to all of

us, and so heartbreaking for

the whole family, least of all the

four boys he left behind

Even though Billy and Sue

were grieving, they never let it

show in front of the grandkids

Instead, they rallied and

made every day count

Now they’re always taking

the boys, and their two other

This week we’re

I can’t praise them enough

‘I’m so proud of you for taking them under your wings like this,’ I say to them, tears in my eyes

‘Well it’s our job as grandparents, isn’t it,’

Billy laughs

Maybe But as grandparents

go, these two really are amazing

IT’S YOUR TURN TO

NOMINATE SOMEONE

Tell us who you think deser ves

to receive some lovely blooms and why See page 4 for det ails

of how to get in touch with u s and make someone’s day

of helping celebrate life’s special moments, FREE

pop-up vase, a gorgeous

is a lovely way to say,

I’m thinking of you See

flyingflowers.co.uk

P6 A mother’s desperate plea

Unscramble our word

of the week Clue: Billy and Sue’s fun treat (You’ll find the word somewhere on this page!) Enter on page 47

MIMWINGS

A quick word!

GET CASH!

£££

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This was our baby boy Jett’s first selfie

I think he might be camera-shy, unlike me and my fiance Grant.

Stacy Gibson, Wordsley

It’s still cold out there so wrap up warm like our little Rosa, 18 months! I don’t think there’s anything cuter than a baby

or toddler in

a snowsuit!

Nina Rees, Swansea

My baby boy Bailey,

2, says he thinks he can follow in Daddy’s footsteps – I say he will need to grow a little bit more, though.

Louise Brewer, Hyde

My granddaughter Effie, 7, loves snuggling up with her new rescue pup Ellie.

Vanessa Tolson, Tadley

Your

Imagine how surprised

I was when Hollywood actor Michael Fassbender just walked into my

work Best day ever.

Lesley Phillips, Walton

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a

cuter sight than baby Eden

laughing with her daddy Matt.

Lisa Rule, Penzance

It was nice to get away with my friend Kath for my brother’s wedding in Ibiza

Natasha Douglas, Rainham

I was having a swinging

good time on holiday

in Cuba, but most of all

I was impressed I didn’t

fall off this hammock.

Jo Greasby, Bradford

My nieces Sophie, 17, and Katie, 18, and

I think my brother Hugh looks like one

famous silent character, played by Rowan

Atkinson – do you see the resemblance?

Charlotte Primrose, Manningtree

My daughter Emily, 7, loves the ball pool at a local play centre, as proved

by this colourful photo of her!

Laura Ward, Torrington

5

She had two beautiful boys, was

a devoted mum

WITHOU ATRACE

out a tiny kitten

‘Not another stray,’ I groaned

My cheeky, free-spirited girl

was such a charmer, it was

hard to say no

So we kept the kitten,

and named him Barney

He was one of many!

And it wasn’t just animals

she’d take in

Outgoing Georgina easily

made friends with strangers,

striking up a conversation on

the train or bus

‘Don’t be so trusting,’ I’d say

But you could never tell

her what to do

After finishing school at 16,

she went to catering college

Like her older sister Sara, 20,

and younger twins Arij and

Sonya, 12, she loved to cook

But a year on, Georgina quit

to take a part-time admin job

Lacking direction, she

went a bit off the rails She’d

sometimes disappear for days,

staying at friends’ houses

But she’d always text me

what she was up to, and she

still loved chilling at home with

me and her sisters

‘I love you, Mum,’ she’d tell

me before bed

‘Love you, too, George,’ I’d say

‘Not as much as I love you!’

she’d grin

Her little catchphrase, she’d

been saying it since she was 3

She went on to have two beautiful boys and was a devoted mum After being a bit lost, she’d found her purpose

She really came into her own and I loved seeing her so happy

‘You’re such a good mum,’

I told her proudly, glad my

once-rebellious girl had settled down

She’d come over most afternoons for a cuppa, with

a plastic box

of cupcakes

She talked about one day opening her own cake-making business

But for now, she was engrossed

in family life

Yet it wasn’t long before the cracks started

to show in her relationship

‘I don’t want the boys growing

up around arguments,’ she confided to me, one day in the summer of 2012

Georgina was heartbroken

While she was always a model mum when her sons came, during the week,

she’d drink heavily

In and out of work, she seemed lost all over again

I was desperate for her to ditch the booze

‘Come on, George, think of the boys,’ I told her

up, then getting back together

I love him, but I can’t live with him, she texted me in

bowling or to the cinema

Every Sunday, her sister, Sara, now 35, and the twins,

27, would come for dinner

‘I’m thinking of getting a place in Brighton,’ Georgina announced one day

It wasn’t too far away, and she had friends there Perhaps

she’d be happier

On Wednesday

7 March, I was getting ready for

my shift as a carer

Passing by Georgina’s room,

I stuck my head round the door

She seemed sad

as she sat on the floor, smoothing straighteners through her hair

‘My phone’s on the blink,’

she groaned

Her phone was her lifeline,

so I dug out an old one of mine

‘You’ll need to get a SIM card,’ I said, handing it to her

‘Thanks, Mum,’ she smiled

‘I’ll walk into town later.’

‘Love you,’ I told her

‘Love you more!’ she chanted back in her old familiar way

When I returned, around 8pm, Georgina wasn’t home

Exhausted, I went to bed

When she didn’t show up the next day, I assumed she’d stayed with friends

The next day, there was still

My girl was seen on CCTV

and then she just vanished

to an old number, hoping it might be working again

Everything OK? I wrote.

Her sisters and I went online and, between us, we contacted all her Facebook friends

No-one had seen her We were all so worried, but I tried

to stay calm

‘The boys are coming next Friday, she won’t miss that,’ I said

Georgina was a free spirit

She’d gone for days before, then turned up all smiles

I woke up that Friday, nine days on, expecting to see Georgina stroll in

But when the boys arrived

in the afternoon, there was still

Has she been in an accident?

Has someone hurt her?

I shuddered

The next morning, hands shaking, I called the police

‘It’s not unusual for adults

to slip off radar occasionally,’

an officer reassured me

He told me not to worry, but

I was beside myself

We put posts on social media appealing for information, made posters with Georgina’s photo on and distributed them

in shops and pubs

On 26 March, an officer told us the Major Crime Team would be taking over the investigation

‘Her bank account hasn’t been used since 7 March,’ he said

The last day I’d seen her

‘What’s she been living on, then?’ I asked, panicked

The police said they were escalating the case from

a missing person to a possible major crime

I was told they’d need to search the house They took hair from Georgina’s hairbrush, papers they’d found

in her room and an old scrap

of paper with an address on

Meanwhile, my life was

on hold

I spent most of the time at work in a daze, and weekends with the boys were hard

‘Mummy’s not well,’ I fibbed

When Georgina had been missing for six weeks, the police showed me CCTV footage

of staff, presenting the

phone I’d given her

Minutes later, she walked out, looked in both directions down the street as if deciding where to go next, then disappeared from view

In broad daylight, just like that, she vanished

Days later, in the April, police arrested two men

be alive…

Without Georgina, there’s a massive hole in our lives

My lovely girl – missing for

Days blurred into each

other as we waited

for any scrap of

news that would

instant, I’d know by

the way they walked

or held themselves

Not my girl.

‘You’re sure?’ they’d ask

‘I know my own child,’ I

choked, devastated it wasn’t her

The weeks, then months,

went by without news

I couldn’t sleep or eat, felt

anxious all the time

Can you help?

Sussex Police are

offering £5,000 for information that could lead to finding Georgina She’s described as white, 5ft 4in tall, with dark hair

and an upper lip piercing.

If you know anything, go to sussex.police uk/contact/af/ contact-us, or call 101 quoting Operation Pavo You can

also contact Crimestoppers anonymously

on 0800 555 111.

Leeds None came to anything

‘Is Mummy missing?’ her eldest asked me one day

‘Yes, darling,’ I told him sadly

Later, I found him lying in her bed, crying Heartbreaking

On Georgina’s 31st birthday, last October, seven months

after she’d gone missing, we held

a candlelit vigil at Worthing train station, near where she was last seen

With family and friends, I set up a table with photos of Georgina, sprayed a little tree with glitter

We asked people to write messages of hope on leaf-shaped cards to hang on it

Reading them at home that night, I was devastated

I wish I’d spent more time with you, an old school friend wrote.

Now, Georgina’s been missing for a year The house

is so empty without her

I’ve gone over

every possible scenario a thousand times in my head

Around the time she went missing, a female dog walker reported seeing a woman who looked like Georgina arguing with two men on a bridge

Workmen were demolishing

a car park nearby, and the site’s been completely flattened now

In my darkest moments, I wonder… If something bad had happened to her, could they have hidden her body there?

But thinking like this only drives me crazy I’m living every mum’s worst nightmare

My grandsons still visit, fill

my home with noise, the clutter

of toys and games But they miss their mum desperately

‘Hello, Mummy,’ they say, looking at photos on the wall

I cling to the one thing

I do know – Georgina was a devoted mother Even if she walked away from her family, she’d never have left her sons

I’m convinced whatever’s

happened to her was against her will Georgina was a trusting soul who took everyone at face value She could be naive

Another dark fear is that she was somehow introduced to drugs, then trafficked into the sex trade in the UK or abroad

It sounds far fetched But she’s got to be somewhere Georgina, if you’re reading this, please get in touch

Just let us know you’re safe Without you, there’s a massive hole in our lives

Believe me, sweetheart, no-one loves you more

Beat the keeper (5,1,4)

Stonework structure Adolescent Gambles

Small number

Prepare to remove Bad smell

Lacking guile Hired out

Bring an action against

Bottle top Yuletide Invisible

emanation

Party dance

S African currency

Bolt fastener

Part company Fewer

Crooked, askew

Graveyard tree

Stage whisper

Sound

system (2-2)

Condensing (of)

List component

366-day period (4,4)

Female equivalent

of Scout

Cut-throat, ruffian

Frozen princess

Eyelid

ailment Jogs along

Animal’s bedding material

Famous

UK cricket ground

Besides, otherwise

Desai, Indian writer

Thick, shaggy (eyebrows)

Formerly surnamed Lyric poem

Unwell Island south

of Sicily

Girl’s name

or part of the eye

Place for exercise

Work of fiction

Puts off Quagmire Petty

dispute

Wash against

Jewish state

Murray, tennis player

Go head

first

Covers with bitumen

Common insect Become

Musical play

Garnett, TV loudmouth

Weight

of duty Settles

Got along, managed

Espionage agent

F

Followit!

Solve the puzzle

to spell out a term

related to the

picture The arrows

show you where to

put your answers

‘I’m afraid your baby

is killing you,’

a doctor told me

the end of Corrie,

I could barely keep

my eyes open

‘I’m so exhaustedall the time,’ I groaned

to my boyfriend Paul, 25, one

evening in November 2014

‘Not surprising,’ he said

I was 16-weeks pregnant

with my first baby, after all

But I had more reason than

most to worry

As a baby, I’d been diagnosed

with a genetic disorder called

alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

(A1AD) It meant

I could develop liver

or lung diseases

in adulthood

Until now, aged

22, I’d been able

The next day, I booked an

appointment with the GP

Given my medical history,

he referred me to the hospital

for more tests

There, they confirmed

I’d picked up an infection

that was causing my blood

pressure to spike I was also

extremely dehydrated

‘We’ll keep you in for a couple

of days,’ the doctor told me as

Waiting for

my liver transplant…

I was hooked to a drip

From then on, I was in and out of hospital constantly, picking up infections all over the place

‘I just want to be well again,’

I grumbled

I was even in hospital on the day of my 20-week scan in December 2014

‘At least I don’t have far

to go,’ I joked to Paul as the sonographer set up by my bed

When we found out it was

a boy, we were chuffed

But back home, I could

barely haul myself off the sofa and spent most of the day sleeping

So I headed back to the hospital

a few days later

By now I had severe flu-like symptoms and could hardly make sense of where I was

After the usual tests, I was told I needed to be readmitted

For the next few days,

I existed in a daze

Paul visited as much as he could – but in all honesty, I didn’t even realise he was there

The scans of my liver weren’t looking good, either

‘Your liver is failing,’ a doctor told me

He explained the baby was taking all the nutrients and fluids I needed to keep my liver

functioning properly

And because of my pre-existing condition, my body was struggling to cope

‘I’m afraid your baby is killing you We need to deliver him today,’ he said

I blinked back tears

It was 30 December 2014

I was only 24-weeks pregnant

‘There’s a strong chance the baby won’t survive,’ a midwife warned gently

I couldn’t just lie there and accept the fact that I had to risk

my baby’s life to save my own

‘There must be something you can do,’ I sobbed

I was given steroid injections in an attempt to strengthen my baby’s lungs ready for the birth

By now, I was so ill that my body wasn’t strong enough to

be awake for the Caesarean

As I drifted off to sleep,

I was terrified

Would I wake up again?

And would my baby be

alive? It was too much to bear.When I next opened my eyes, I felt groggy and sore.Paul was by my bedside

‘What happened?’

I mumbled

Paul told me I’d been in

an induced coma for over

24 hours, after losing too much blood in surgery

‘And the baby ?’ I asked

‘He’s OK They’re doing

I was too numb

to care what was happening

to me

REAL LIFE

11

Me and Paul will never forget Ryan

and two days after surgery

Meet our cheeky girl Allie!

everything they can,’

Paul replied

‘I want to see him,’ I insisted

After making sure I was

stable, nurses helped me into

a wheelchair so Paul could

take me up to the Neonatal

Intensive Care Unit (NICU)

When we got to the

incubator, I was shocked Our

baby seemed hardly any bigger

than the palm of Paul’s hand

He weighed just 442g – not

even 1lb But

‘He’s beautiful,’ I whispered

Paul and I decided to name

him Ryan

We couldn’t hold him, but we

sat there for an hour, stroking

his tiny fingers through the

holes in the incubator

Afterwards, I went back

to the ward to rest

But Paul and I were woken

up in the night by a nurse

‘Ryan has taken a turn for the worse,’ she said

We were taken straight back

to the NICU, but an on-call doctor was there to meet us

She explained that Ryan had fought bravely – but being born

so prematurely, he’d contracted sepsis He also had a problem with his brain

‘There’s nothing more we can do,’

she added

Too shocked to speak, I nodded as

a nurse asked if we’d like her to take Ryan out of his incubator

to hold him

Sitting down,

I was able to hold Ryan for the first – and last – time

Sobbing, I passed him over

to Paul as our baby’s breathing became more laboured

Then I watched, my heart breaking, as our beloved boy passed away in Paul’s arms

Afterwards, Paul and I could barely speak

We returned to my hospital bed, where Ryan was brought

to us in a special ‘cuddle cot’

Paul and I dressed him

in some baby clothes we’d

brought with us to the hospital

Not that they fitted him

We kept a lock of his hair and took some photographs for our memory box

All I wanted to do was go home and grieve, but I was still too unwell

Then doctors had more bad news – my liver wasn’t able to repair itself after the pregnancy

I needed a transplant

But I was too numb to really care what was happening to me

Not when I’d just lost my son

I was put on

a waiting list and sent home

on medication

We held Ryan’s funeral in February

2015 and had him cremated

‘I want his ashes to stay with us,’ I told Paul

For the next few months,

we did our best to carry on

as normal

Then, in October 2015, on

my 23rd birthday, we got the call we’d been waiting for – the hospital had found a liver

I went in for a transplant the very same day – and thankfully,

it was successful

But I had mixed feelings

There was no way I could have

known my pregnancy would make me so unwell but

I wished more than anything I’d been able to get a healthy liver in time to save Ryan.After a couple of weeks’ recovery time, I was back home.And for the first time in almost a year, I finally felt well again I had more energy, didn’t feel like I needed to sleep all the time

Paul and I could finally be

a normal couple again

On 30 December 2015, Paul and I held a first birthday party for Ryan, for our close friends and family

And now that I was well, we were ready for a fresh start.Paul proposed in December

2016 – and just afterwards,

we found out I was pregnant again I was monitored closely – but with my new liver, the risks were small

Our daughter Allie was born

in July 2017, weighing 4lb 12oz Despite being eight weeks premature, she was perfect.Paul and I married in April last year, with Allie as our bridesmaid – carried down the aisle by my maid of honour.Now, at 20 months, Allie’s developed a really cheeky personality

When she’s older, I’m going to tell her all about her big brother Each 30 December, instead

of getting ready to celebrate the New Year, we celebrate Ryan’s birthday – just me, Paul and Allie And we have his ashes

in our living room, in

a beautiful little wooden box,

so he’s always with us

No matter what, we’ll always be

a family

of four

Meal deal

Your Friday night

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includes two Indian

ready meals and 1

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Save dough

Made with protein-rich soya and

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Remember, these are YOUR tips – we haven’t tried them ourselves

Neat trick

Painting plastic

Put a carrier bag over your painting tray After you have finished, just throw it away – saves washing up and keeps your tray looking like new.

Jane Whitaker, Birchington

Tray to table

If your work surface is

not suitable for rolling out

pastry or kneading bread,

use a kitchen tray.

Denise Watson, South Hetton

Hold it!

Toilet-roll holders are always so boring, so

I made my own using

an old piece of wood.

Now my toilet rolls look better stored and my bathroom feels more unique.

Neely Simons, Leicester

Twist in the tale

I’m forever losing hairbands,

so I started twisting them onto

my hairbrush and now I’ve always got one when I need it most.

Abbie Cairns, Colchester

Wash an empty face cream jar and cover it with stick-on stones to make

a pretty trinket box to store all sorts of goodies.

Mary Campbell, Ayr

Brilliant brekkie

Make breakfasts more fun or the kids by using pastry cutters to make snazzy toast shapes.

My wardrobe consisted

of men’s oversized hoodies

THEN

SHRINKING POT

Like her hero Alice, Sarah Hatton, 31, from Shepperton, went from big, to small, to big, to

Touching up my

lipstick in the pub

toilet mirror, I gazed

at my reflection and

smiled contentedly

Not bad, I thought,

checking out my slim figure,

all dolled up in a stylish dress

My blue eyes were glittering

and I felt so happy

It was October 2012,

and I was on my first date in

18 months Dave, 35, was

a friend of a friend

We’d been introduced a few

days before And, so far, our

date was sizzling, with the pair

me smile!

a size-16, but I was fit, even played basketball at semi- pro level

But, when an injury had finished my career at 16, I’d turned to food for comfort

By the time I’d given birth

to my son Rhys in July 2009,

I was 21 and a huge 22st 9lb

Adjusting to life with a newborn baby, the sleepless nights and constant busyness had been rough

Food seemed to be the only thing to get me through the long days

But, by now, I’d started to hate the way I looked

The worst was when I’d go

shopping for clothes

I’d avoided looking at myself in mirrors, couldn’t fit into stylish clothes

My wardrobe had consisted

of men’s oversized hoodies and T-shirts, anything that would hide

my huge frame

But, when my mum Julie, 68, had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes

in September 2010,

my dad Derek,

70, and I were both shocked

It was a huge wake-up call for me

Weighing nearly 23st, I’d been terrified the same

thing would happen to me

So I’d overhauled my diet

And, by December 2011, I’d slimmed down to 14st

using a shake-based diet plan

‘You look absolutely fantastic!’ Mum told me

And, for the first time in my life, I’d agreed with her

Now, checking

my reflection in the mirror one last time, I knew I looked fab

You go get him girl! I told

myself, before strutting back into the pub

I did, too Dave and

I started dating – and then, in May 2014, I fell pregnant

We were thrilled and, in the October

of that year, Dave proposed while we were out on a walk in

a nearby park

I couldn’t wait to become his wife

But when our daughter Ivy came along in January

2015, we were so busy being new parents

I felt fab on our big day

Unlike Alice,

I couldn’t swallow a shrinking potion

that everything got put

on the back burner

Including my

healthy eating

Before I knew

it, my weight was

creeping up And as

I felt my confidence

slide, I fell back

into comfort eating

Soon, I was ordering

multiple takeaways a

week and snacking on

crisps and chocolate –

it was just like when

I was at my heaviest

Dave didn’t make any

comment, but I knew

he’d noticed

After only giving birth

a year ago, I’d gone back

up to over 18st

‘Oh, my gosh!’ I cried,

as I climbed off the scales

After all that hard work!

I was so disappointed

Worst of all, Dave and

I had set a date for a wedding

There was no way I wanted

to be fat for that!

We’d booked it for October

2017 and planned for it to

be themed around Alice’s

Adventures in Wonderland.

Since I was a little girl, I’d

been fascinated with the books

Dad used to read me the

tales of Alice every night

But, when I told Dave that

I wanted our wedding to be in

that style, he was sceptical

‘Alice’s Adventures in

Wonderland, really?’ he said.

‘Don’t worry,’ I laughed

‘I don’t want you to dress up

as the Mad Hatter!’

No, it wouldn’t be a

fancy-dress wedding Just have the

Wonderland-themed decor,

a cake, wedding favours

‘It’ll look incredible, and will

be unique to us,’ I said happily

And in the end, I managed

to win him over!

Now I just had to win

my weight battle

Unlike Alice, I couldn’t swallow a handy shrinking potion So, in March 2016,

I joined Slimming World

It was tough disciplining myself around food again, but I was determined to

be that wonderful, Wonderland bride

So I learnt how

to cook properly and started

to eat more healthily again

I had thought

it would take me forever

But, after

a few months, thanks to the support

‘Wow!’

Dave said ‘I always fancied you, even when you were big – but babe, you look amazing!’

I felt it, too – healthier, fitter and more confident

Now I had to buy

my wedding dress!

In the end, I settled on a gorgeous white, floaty number in

a slinky size-14

I was so chuffed!

When our wedding day arrived, I couldn’t wait to marry Dave

Held at Shepperton Studios, it was exactly how I’d imagined it

Rhys, 8, and Ivy,

21 months, were there, and they squealed with delight when my friend Billy dressed up as the White Rabbit He even remained in character for the rest of the day!

With a nod to

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, my best

friend Dani made an amazing cake which featured Alice and the Mad Hatter at the top!

And I also used my artistic talents to make

confident and incredibly comfortable posing for my wedding photographs

Even if my dress did feel

a little loose

I’d dropped a little more weight by then, so I was 12st.And, when we had our photographs done, they were

My dress went from white…

to an array of different colours! Later on, when our

photographer showed us the results, I couldn’t believe how fantastic they were

‘They look incredible!’

I beamed, delighted

Looking back over the years,

I fell down the rabbit hole

of overeating more than once But I’m really determined not

to do that again Because my life now really

is a wonderland I’ve met the love of my life and

we have our two amazing children.Best of all, I’m happier and healthier and intend to stay that way for my family

All I can say is, happy endings really do happen

Fast weight loss

than I’d like to be.

What’s the best diet

to lose weight quickly?

Penny, Dorset

isn’t always the best way

forward Some studies

suggest that if you ‘yo-yo’ too

often, you end up worse off

than when you started

Take a long-term approach,

with portion control, healthy

foods and getting out for a

walk once a week, and you

should get there If you lose

1lb a week, you’ve nailed it!

Contraceptive help needed

contraception for

me Do you have any recommendations?

Sandra, Northampton

all ages on the NHS, andwidely available on thehigh street, with differentforms best for different people

Book an appointment withyour GP to discuss the options,which range from condoms,the contraceptive Pill and theIUD (coil) The best one for

you will depend on a number

of factors, such as your age,your medical history, andeven if you smoke or not

His illness is too regular

tonsillitis at least once a year Should

I be worried about him?

to your pharmacist abouttreatments to help ease them

If it happens several timeseach year, let your GP know,

as it’s worth a referral to theEar, Nose & Throat team

Author and hypnotherapist Ailsa Frank advises

1 New habits

‘Part of your salt addiction

is triggered by familiar routines, such as walking past a particular takeaway shop, and where the salt pot is stored in your kitchen,’ says Ailsa.

‘Take a different route home, walk a different way round the supermarket, move it off the dining table and store salt in a different kitchen cupboard.

‘Also, try drinking water at those times of the day you would otherwise associate with eating salty foods.’

2 Different recipes

‘Each week, change one meal to a low-salt option,’ says Ailsa ‘If you gradually introduce new recipes one

by one, you’re more likely

to make long-term changes, whereas abstaining from salt overnight can cause feelings of missing out.’

3 Use your imagination

‘Try to visualise yourself preparing fresh foods, rather than eating ready meals,’ explains Ailsa ‘By seeing the new you in your mind, you’re more likely to create this in your real life.’

3WAYS TO

Cutdown

on salt

For advice, contact us via one of the methods below Letters and

emails are selected randomly for publication Sorry, Dr McKeown

can’t reply personally.WRITE TO:Pick Me Up!, 161 Marsh Wall,

London E14 9AP.EMAIL:pickmeup@ti-media.com

I hope sharing my story helps others with

a long-term illness

BIG

health story

Years of pain and surgery won’t

beat Ann Marie Healy, 50, from

at just 10 years old,

I was completely exhausted

My fingers and ankles were

swollen, my neck so stiff

‘It hurts!’ I said to my parents

Seamus and Mary-Kate

But it wasn’t the

first time I’d had

trouble like this

When I was 5,

I was hospitalised

with suspected

rheumatic fever

after my parents noticed my

hands swelling up

I’d been treated with

antibiotics, and couldn’t wait

to get back to school

Back to normal

But now I was in pain again

This time, I was referred to a

rheumatologist at Merlin Park

University Hospital in Galway

‘Ann Marie has juvenile

rheumatoid arthritis,’ the

consultant explained

It is an autoimmune

condition that causes pain,

swelling and stiffness

for five weeks,

receiving physio and

in the joints, usually around the hands, feet and wrists It occurs when the immune system attacks the healthy lining of the joints There is no cure, but treatments include medication, surgery and physiotherapy

progressive, so it would only get worse over time

Aged 14, I began to struggle with writing at school

My fingers were beginning

to close in, limiting movement

‘We’ll need to perform

a corrective procedure,’

a surgeon told us

I’d never had an operation before – but if it helped the

I was thrilled to be able to write

But my joy was short-lived By 16,

I was struggling to walk, my toes curled over each other, and my joints were swollen and sore

I was given injections every two weeks to treat the swelling and pain, and also needed operations every few years

Since I needed to take time off after each one, holding down a job was very difficult

Then in July 1998, I was taken in for a hip replacement

During recovery, I started feeling unsettled

I was desperate

to take control at

last, despite my condition

‘I’ve decided to go to college,’

I told my parents

As I used crutches and battled daily pain, they were concerned, but supported me

So in the September, I started

my course in Social Care at the Sligo Institute of Technology

Leaving home was my chance for independence, and

I wasn’t going to squander it

During my studies, I still needed surgeries on my hip and shoulders, but nothing got

in the way of my work

When I graduated in 2001,

I was so proud of myself

‘Well done, love,’ said Mum

Now with proof that my condition didn’t need to hold

me back, I managed to keep

up the momentum

In 2005, I moved into

my own council house, became a co-ordinator at the Centre for Independent Living to give support to people with disabilities

I even visited the European Parliament

to discuss options for independent-living services

I must have had over 40 surgeries

in my life so far, and

I still struggle with pain But I won’t let

Proud of all I’ve achieved

my condition beat me

I’ve even written a book about my experiences, called

Be Yourself, My Diaries

I hope that sharing my story can help others living with a long-term illness

We really can do whatever

we want with our lives, even

if we need a little help

Be Yourself, My Diaries by Ann Marie Healy is available online at choicepublishing.ie

or amazon.co.uk

TRUE

or

HEALTH TIP

T hese are a sign that

the body is fighting

an infection They

should get better within

a couple of weeks, as long

as you rest, drink plenty of

fluids and take painkillers.

However, you should

visit your GP if your

glands are getting bigger

or haven’t gone down in

three weeks, they feel

hard or don’t move when

pressed, or you have a

very high temperature or

no other signs of illness

AlsoknownasWillis-Ekbomdisease,it’sa commonconditionthat causesanirresistible urgetomovethelegs.

■ True ■ False

usuallyworsein themornings.

■ True ■ False

willexperience symptomsevery fewweeks.

■ True ■ False

suchasquitting smoking,exercising regularlyandimproving sleepcanhelptreat mildcases.

■ True ■ False

1 TRUE It can also cause

an unpleasant crawling sensation in the feet, calves and thighs.

in the evenings or at night, and can occasionally spread to the arms, too.

symptoms daily and, in severe cases, it can disrupt

a person’s everyday life.

4 TRUE If your symptoms are more severe, you may need medication to regulate your levels of dopamine and iron

40%

That’s how many

Brits don’t know

it’s the chemicals

Have you tried

The Tisserand Sweet Dreams Aromatherapy Roller Ball?

switch off from the day and get a restful night’s sleep Made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, including lavender, mandarin and geranium oil, you simply roll this over your forehead, temples, back of neck and wrists, and

urinating more than

usual and I’m

worried this could

be something to do with my prostate,

as I am over 50

Dave, London

common withmen your age,Dave If you’reconcerned, see your

GP – and rememberit’s recommendedthat men who areover 50 have aprostate check

remember, I’ve wanted

a child I’m now 53

I’ve had long-term

relationships over the years,

and been married twice, but

I haven’t found the right

person to have a family with

Though I know I’m probably

too old to have children, I can’t

shake the feeling that I was

born to be a mum I still really

want to have that experience of

being pregnant, changing

nappies and looking after a

baby Luckily, I haven’t been

through the menopause yet

but it doesn’t mean my body

will still let me

Shall I give up on my child

dreams? I can’t help but think

that I missed my chance

decades ago…

Kelly, 44

Inverness

Six months ago, my friend’s

boyfriend of three years texted me to ask what

I thought she’d like for her 40th birthday I helped him, but he’s not stopped texting

me since He wishes me good morning, good night and asks about my day They’re not flirty, but I’m not sure he should be texting me so much Should

I tell my friend? Chances are she already knows and I wouldn’t want to cause stress or jealousy

Pick Me Up!

reader Krystdena Cardwell says, ‘I would give

up on the dream of carrying your own child – as you get older, your body isn’t the same as it once was You could suffer a lot

of heartache and there are so many children out there wanting love.

‘You could

be living your dream of becoming

a mother by adopting A child doesn’t have to

be blood-related

to be your own.’

Pick Me Up!

reader Claire Mangan says,

‘I’d make light of it and mention it when I’m with them both Something like, “Sorry

I meant to text you back but

I forgot,” so it’s not a big deal.

‘You’ll see by their reactions: a) whether it means anything to him, and b) whether she’s aware of it

I really don’t think it’s a big deal, he might be thinking the same about you texting him.’

Pick Me Up!

reader Kirsty Hanslip says,

‘There’s no age limit on having children – there are risks with pregnancy at any age, some more than others.

‘Speak to your doctor but

never give up hope, everyone deserves a chance to be a mother, whether

it be natural or adoption There are thousands

of babies out there waiting for a mum and

it sounds like you’ll make

a great one.’

Pick Me Up!

reader Karee Cloke says,

‘Delete his number and block him Failing that, just start ignoring the texts It’s definitely inappropriate

Whether your friend knows or not (my bet is she doesn’t!) it’s making you uncomfortable

‘If you call him out on it, it could make things awkward for you when you’re next in his company, but if you ignore his efforts to contact you completely, he’ll be the one left embarrassed.’

Tell friend boyfriend texts?

● Want to become an older

mum? Get helpful advice

and resources if you’re over

35 from oldermum.co.uk.

● The Royal College of Midwives have lots of helpful stats and facts about becoming an older parent

Visit rcm.org.uk/tags/

older-mothers.

● Think your partner may be having an affair? Relate can help Visit relate.org.uk.

65%

door of Room 66 at the

Continental Hotel, she

found a blood-soaked bed

and a large backpack

The shocked woman

asked her manager to

look in the backpack

Inside was human

flesh and body parts, and

a pair of severed arms,

bound by duct tape

Under the bed, wrapped

in a blanket, was a man’s

torso, covered in scratches

and punctures, and almost

completely drained of blood

Also in the cheap Los

Angeles hotelroomwas

asyringe,bags with meth

residue and a box of sweets,

along with two pairs of

men’s boxers and a pair of

women’s knickers

All soaked in blood

Horrendous – and a

complete mystery

Who was this man

who’d been brutally sliced

into five pieces?

And what sort of monsters

had done this to him?

A 3½in hunting knife

was found at the scene,

along with an LA Lakers

basketball team cap – left

sitting on top of the bed

‘like a tombstone’, according

A bloody scene in

a hotel room and a

true crime notfor

the faint-hearted

The hotel:

scene of a shocking crime

to one police officer

The police identified the victim as a man named Herbert Tracy White, 49

His devastated wife told how he’d received a call the previous night, 28 November 2010, around midnight

Herbert was a former cocaine addict who’d become

an Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous sponsor

He was always getting night calls, his wife Annie said, liked to help out vulnerable folk who were struggling with their own addictions

late-A real Good Samaritan

And that night was no different Herbert got out of bed, quickly dressed and put

on his favourite Lakers cap

As he said goodbye to his

wife, he told her he was off to meet some people who needed his help It was the last time she’d see him alive

So who were the mysterious people he’d gone to ‘help’ in the dead of night?

The police identified them

as Edward Garcia, 36, and his wife, Melissa Hope Garcia, 25

Homeless drug addicts, originally from York, Pennsylvania, they’d been living in their car before it had been towed away and they’d ended up

in LA’s Skid Row – an area full of homeless hostels

Just a few days before Herbert’s body was found, the couple had met him outside a bank in Hollywood

He’d given them his number – told them to get in touch if he could ever help get them sober

Herbert had checked the Garcias into the Continental Hotel – mainly used by rough sleepers – the night before his body was found He even paid for their room

Yet neither the Garcias or

Herbert had ever checked out

of the third-floor room

The police reckoned the Garcias had left via a fire escape

Fearing they’d fled California, the police launched a manhunt for them

Following tip-offs from other rough sleepers, the couple were finally found – nearly two weeks after the killing

They were living in squalid conditions in an abandoned Hollywood office building, just a few miles from the seedy hotel

They were asleep when the police broke down the door – looked as if they were coming down from a drugs binge

Both had sores on their faces, due to drug use, and Melissa had recently dyed her hair, putting red streaks in it

As the couple were arrested and charged with murder, they expressed remorse for

their actions

Edward told the police he wanted

to apologise to Herbert’s family for what he’d done

Said he was glad

it was ‘over’

The couple were tried separately

In May 2015, Edward Garcia faced trial

The prosecution insisted he and his wife had butchered their victim as part of a ‘long-held fantasy’ of dismembering

a body in a ‘ritualistic killing’

The prosecution said the Garcias had planned the attack for a long time, before even meeting their victim

‘What proceeded that night,’ one lawyer told jurors, ‘was truly dark and sadistic.’

They alleged that bloodshed

Detectives uncovered

an eerily similarcrime

in their murky past

& MELISSA GARCIA

BRUTAL:EDWARD

A

His wife Annie

Herbert’s grieving mum and brothers

21

and bloodletting was part

of the killers’ motivation, describing how White’s body was almost completely drained

of blood

But Edward Garcia’s defence team said that the explanation wasn’t that simple

They claimed Herbert White hadn’t been such

a Good Samaritan, and alleged he’d brought drugs to the hotel for the Garcias

They said he’d propositioned the couple when he’d first met them at the bank

‘I couldn’t stop thinking about you guys,’ they claimed he’d said, before turning to Melissa and adding, ‘I couldn’t stop thinking of you.’

The defence also claimed Herbert told a hotel security guard Melissa was his girlfriend and had written a false name in the register at the front desk

Sex lubricant – the same type

found at Herbert’s house – was

in the hotel room

Edward Garcia had admitted

to investigators he killed White, but ‘expressed regret’ and claimed all the dismemberment occurred after Herbert died or near the time of death

Yet the prosecution told how detectives had delved into the couple’s murky past and uncovered an eerily similar crime

Around 18 months before Herbert ’s killing, Melissa had posed as a prostitute

to lure a man to their Pennsylvania flat

When the man began to undress, Edward had leapt

‘out the darkness with a knife’, the prosecutor said

The couple had tied up the man But, after enticing one of his friends over, too, and slicing his finger, ‘all hell broke loose’

the prosecutor said, and the men had managed to run away

But Herbert White hadn’t escaped The prosecutor described a ‘brief struggle’

in the hotel room, saying the couple had duct-taped his wrists and dragged him onto the bed

There were wounds on his face and chest, and two neck wounds that hit his jugular vein and killed him

When the prosecution outlined details of the grisly dismemberment, Edward Garcia stared straight ahead

He was said to have sliced

up the body with terrifying precision, even skinned a piece

of leg muscle from the bone –

‘like a fillet’ the prosecutor said The jurors heard a taped confession from Edward

‘I wish that it wasn’t me in that room – but it was I did that,’ he’d told the police He said he couldn’t remember carrying out the attack

The jury found Edward Garcia guilty of first-degree murder He was sentenced

to life without parole

In a separate hearing, in September 2015, Melissa Garcia pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges

She told Herbert White’s family she was ‘so sorry’

‘There’s not a day that goes

by that I don’t think about what happened,’ she added She was jailed for 16 years and eight months

It was justice, but it couldn’t bring back Herbert White His devastated family had attended all the court proceedings, watching grimly from the viewing gallery His grieving mother Elizabeth Peterson told the Press, ‘I could feel what my son felt that night Horrendous… I miss him every day Every day.’

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If only they did one big

He’d sometimes spank

me with my hairbrush

&

When Tammy Rose, 42, from Leicester,

realised life was passing herby, she

decided to play outherwildestfantasies

scene from the Elvis Presley

film Blue Hawaii.

‘You know what you

need?’ Elvis sneered at his

blonde co-star ‘A good,

old-fashioned spanking!’

‘You wouldn’t dare!’

she retorted

‘Oh, yes he would!’

I squealed as Elvis put the

woman over his knee and

gave her negligee-clad bottom

the most exciting

thing I’d ever seen

I’d love someone

actually want to be smacked

‘Men are so unimaginative,’

I grumbled to my older sister Sarah one day in 2001

‘Spice things up a bit,’ she suggested ‘Why not try something different?’

And my mind clicked straight back to that day in

1992 when I couldn’t get

enough of that Elvis Presley film

My fella would think I’m

a right perv if I asked him

to spank me! I thought

And, again, I pushed the thought away

Years of boring sex followed

I never settled down with anyone special who gave

Flicking through, I was totally gripped

I bought the book, raced home, and read the whole thing

in one night

It made me think seriously about my own sexual desires

Maybe I’m not the only one who likes the idea of being spanked?

I realised

But something

still held me back

Then, a couple of weeks later, Sarah was diagnosed with cancer of the liver

What harm could it do to experiment in the bedroom?

Curious, I went online

‘Oh!’ I gasped, as I was

bombarded with explicit images

Dungeons, masters and slaves, people being trussed

up and humiliated

That’s not me!

I just loved the idea of letting a man take complete control for a while

Then I discovered a website for people looking for spankers and spankees

A bit like a dating website with a saucy twist

Taking a deep breath,

I picked a profile I liked, and messaged them

I’m new to all this, I wrote

to one man

Don’t worry, I’ll look after you, he replied.

A week later, we arranged

to meet in a nearby cafe

I recognised him from his online profile A smart,

It’s about

an intense trust between two people

bespectacled man in his 50s

I knew I was taking a bit

of a risk I’d been too

couple sitting on the

table next to us turned

their heads

He seemed very relaxed

about it all, but I was feeling

increasingly uncomfortable

This wasn’t sexy, it was

creepy So I left

A few weeks later, as I visited

Sarah, she took my hand

‘You’ve got to make the

most of life,’ she urged

She was right

So, a few weeks later, in

October 2015, I posted my

own ad on the same website

I want to meet a respectful

I’m no size zero,

I told him

I love curvy girls,

he replied

Eventually James and I met, and my heart flipped when I saw him

Dark-haired and slim,

in a smart shirt and jeans,

‘For a long time,’

I laughed

We chatted like old friends

I agreed to let him take me

to a hotel for my first-ever spanking session

Only when we got to the hotel room, I was suddenly

overcome with nerves

‘Pull yourself together,’ I told myself in the bathroom mirror, tugging nervously at my short denim skirt

When I went into the bedroom, James had moved a chair into the middle of the room

He sat down and pulled

The moment I’d been waiting for all these years!

I was in sexual ecstasy as he spanked me over and over

Then I did something I’d never done before

I had sex on a first date!

I’d only ever slept with a handful of men, and usually made them wait six months

But now I broke all the rules

‘I think you’re going to be

very addictive,’ he whispered

as we lay in bed exhausted

Afterwards, things moved very quickly I was in love!

‘I want to have a domestic discipline relationship,’ he told me one day

I didn’t know what he meant, but he explained it meant a healthy relationship between two consenting adults

‘Only, we’d have certain rules for you,’ he said

We agreed on certain things

I had to do, like not drink too much and always make my bed

If I broke the rules, James would give me a spanking

Of course, I found myself breaking the rules on purpose!He’d sometimes spank me with my hairbrush or with

a wooden kitchen spoon

It hurt a bit, but he always put cream on my sore bits

Besides, I grew to like the pain

In suspenders, stockings and

a French maid outfit, I felt so confident and sexy

Monday nights became role-play night

I’d rush home from my office job, get all dressed up and go straight to his house a few minutes’ drive away

One night, he answered his door dressed as a police officer

‘I hear you’ve been naughty?’

I couldn’t sit down at my desk

My bottom was so tender.But it was worth it!

Our relationship wasn’t just about spanking, we were in love

He was my rock when Sarah passed away in August 2016.You see, spanking isn’t about hurting someone, it’s about

an intense trust between two people

Through spanking, I discovered that – despite being

an ordinary woman in my 40s, with all the lumps and bumps that go with it – I’m a

passionately sensuous person.For the first time, I became aware of my body and the pleasure it can give me

And I found my soulmate, too.Now, I’m writing a book based on my experiences

I hope it encourages other women to let their hair down

in the bedroom – and their knickers, too!