Today has shown me what is truly possible when you have the right support network around you and the determination to succeed.
Today (16th May) events started off early. My silent support posted the following Tweet with my Twitter Account:


It was just a few lines I'd written a few months back, as part of a blog post we were working on. At that time it was very much a work in progress.
The mix of my words and the image he took of me, just seemed to work together. It was just a question of when would be the best time to post it. He felt today was the day. He called it!
In the meantime, I was busy preparing myself for what was going to happen later with ITV (London) News.
Over the past few days, an opportunity (thanks to ACLT) had developed, to be interviewed and talk about my situation. I'd never been on TV before, so you can guess how I was feeling. The 'ultra private', and 'anywhere but in the spotlight' Naomi, was about to be thrust into the spotlight, front and centre! Anxious, but determined, with the help of Orin Lewis OBE, co-founder of ACLT, I was able to get through it!


The experience was terrifying, I was relieved when it was all over! I partly expected it to be like my experience speaking on the Radio back in December. Ria Chatterjee and her camera crew were so kind and patient with me, they really did help me get through it. Massive thanks go out to them!






So here it is, the final result:



I hope I did the cause justice.













Later that afternoon I met up with Lucy Colleer from NHS' Digital Citizen & Innovation Team. Lucy has a personal interest in the Organ Donation drive, having been personally touched by Organ Donation in her past. Our paths first crossed at the London Assembly Meeting in January - well, we were both in the same room but didn't actually get to meet. However, that meeting was very much the catalyst for the two of us meeting today.


Lucy is spearheading a drive to put Organ Donation firmly on the map within her working environment; and out to the wider public. She's responsible for the coordination of projects which fit into a programme called ‘Digitally Enabling Citizens’. All of the projects aim to enable citizens to access digital health tools, such as apps, to encourage and allow them to manage their health needs better. This includes ordering prescriptions, checking symptoms and booking appointments using an app. As you can imagine, the scope covers many elements.

The app is called NHS Health help Now and currently covers North West London, it includes a section devoted to topical health news articles for citizens to read.

Which brings me nicely to the focus of my time spent being interviewed by Lucy. It was another opportunity to share elements of my story. To discuss a variety of topics including Kidney Dialysis, Organ Donation, Family impact and many other topics. Essentially, my experiences so far, in the hope my words both educate readers on what it's like living with an invisible illness - AND - encourage people who may want to get involved in becoming an Organ Donor to reach out and do so. Ultimately, my aim is to reach people who may or may not be aware of how living with the need for an organ transplant impacts all aspects of daily life. Something I feel gets lost sometimes in the mix of campaigning for changes - which are equally as important, but I feel readers need to understand the very real impact it has on not the individual's life, but the lives of those around the person suffering. In my case those who depend on me.

The NHS Health Help Now App is best suited to people in North West London as mentioned above. However, anyone can download and use it, but note the Services are all localised. Which basically means the Services offered through the app currently are based within the North West London area at the moment. In time this will hopefully be broadened out to cover a greater area.

That aside, with about 2.5M Patients and around 50k regular Users of the app, when the story is published, it should hopefully have a large audience of readers. I live in hope.

The NHS Health Help Now App is available on both Android and iPhone devices at the following locations: GooglePlay / iTunes.







You can drop me a message either via Twitter @Naomi_My_Story or HERE I love reading all of your messages of encouragement.
If you are moved by my story and want to get more involved, please consider doing one of the following two things:

1. Registering to become an Organ Donor here: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/ if you do, be sure to let me know!
New registrations give me a boost!

2. If you want to help me directly by being tested to see if you could donate, you will need to be aware of the following:
  • Firstly, I am BLOOD TYPE O-NEGATIVE it's important you know this in advance to be considered for a possible direct donation.
    Failing that, an indirect donation is still a possibility. Please still get in touch using the below...
  • Secondly, please complete THIS FORM and someone will get back to you to move things forward.

AGAIN, THANK YOU!