Niamh's NMO

For the last year or so I've consistently used the wellbeing app Pacifica to manage my Depression and Anxiety. It includes daily tools for stress and anxiety alongside a supportive community. Based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy & Meditation. I particularly like the mood tracking feature, it helps me realise when my Depression is worse than usual.  It is very simple and has constant instructions throughout the app. In the past I've used the community feature which helped me find tips to cope. The app isn't great for visually impaired people because there's no option at all to change the text. VoiceOver works okay on there though. Thankfully the simple layout is easy to use and quick meaning my joints don't have to work so hard! I would recommend the app to people feeling like life is too overwhelming. Meditating has helped me learn to breathe my way through panic attacks and prevent them! The Hope board allows me to remind myself that there are good days! Jou

  Last Saturday balloons were let off worldwide in memory of Olivia Lannoo.    Olivia a 21 year old from Belgium fighting Neuromyelitis Optica passed away on Saturday 20th of May. The news came as a shock to us all despite knowing she was really unwell. Her resilience and power to overcome the toughest hurdles lead us to believe nothing could defeat her. Sadly, due to Neuromyelitis Optica complications we have lost our flamboyant star! She aspired to help others, become an OT, raise awareness and show off her make up art. Throughout her fight against NMO Olivia remembered to stay strong and be positive. She was an overcomer, thriver, warrior, talented and so much more. Even through photos her beauty shined through with that great big smile.   I spent time working on a few projects with Olivia like Spoonie Spotlight where she shared her story and #VisiblyInvisible, a project showing what make up means to chronically ill people. I admire Olivia for being a young woman raising awarene