Aid4Disabled is nominated as an MS blog
Aid4Disabled is nominated as an MS blog
I’m wary of emails from people or organisations that I have never heard of. I receive an enormous amount of spam email. Its when they begin “Hi Aid4Disabled”, I look no further and press the delete key. Imagine my surprise when an email told me “Aid4Disabled is nominated as an MS blog”.
How did it start?
I started the Aid4Disabled.com website immediately after medical retirement in January 2012. I’m not really too sure why I did it.
- Did I think I was going to become a millionaire?
- Would I become well-known?
- Was I going to become famous?
I soon found out the answer to all three questions was “NO”; it didn’t take me long
Stupid or naive?
The website was a spur of the moment crazy idea. We’ve all had them. The original vision was to create a “Trip Advisor” type site for the disabled. I was so awfully naive.
Then I had the idea of identifying items that would improve the quality of life of disabled people. All of the products could be found on Amazon and anything that was bought through my site would pay me a very small commission. This was not an earner.
A couple of years later
I began to read other people’s blogs and meet fellow multiple sclerosis sufferers. It was only then that I realised that everyone has a story to tell. First of all had to learn a few ground rules.
- Keep it simple.
- Make it your story
- No adverts
- Don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Do not do politics.
- Keep the blogs short, sharp and snappy.
Barbara Stensland who writes the blog Stumbling in Flats inspired me. I could never be as good a writer, she sets the bar far too high, none the less her posts got me thinking.
So there we have it. A short potted history of how the website came about. By this time I had no illusions of fame or riches. It is now my therapy, my way of living and dealing with Multiple Sclerosis.
Aid4Disabled is nominated as an MS blog
I had an unexpected email in my inbox with the title ‘Aid4disabled blog in Feedspot Top 10 Multiple Sclerosis Blogs’.
‘Umm’ I thought. ‘Is this click bait? Maybe its spam? Could it be phishing?’
Curiosity got the better of me
I had to open the email. It was none of those. Instead it was an award, you could imagine my surprise. I found out that Aid4Disabled is nominated as one of the top UK Multiple Sclerosis blog. It was 5th out of 10, rubbing shoulders with other very well-known UK MS blog sites. I had to pinch myself and read the email several times.
I’m still not famous and certainly no nearer to being a millionaire Its possible that a few more people will get to know about the website and it has made blogging more worthwhile.
Most of all the award was totally unexpected so thanks to anyone who might have nominated me.
Related articles
Who am I.
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Dragons Den competition.
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June 2018
You may not be richer financially but this recognition makes you a ‘richer’ person – a nice feeling, huh?
Congratulations Patrick…
Laura
Hello Laura,
Lovely words. Yup feeling better emotionally, just goes to prove that you are never too old to learn. I knew nothing about blogging, websites, social media etc when I retired.
Good feeligng
Hi Patrick, I read your blog on your travel scoot crossing London. I was very impressed. I hope you won’t mind me me asking. Did you have any difficult finding the dropped kerbs,? Most importantly how did you manage the bus journey. Did the driver see you and lower the platform. And was it easy to drive on to the bus or did you have to dismount. I have had such freedom with my travel scoot and would love to travel in London, my best trip there so far wa
s to alight at Blackfriars Station and go to an exhibition at Tate modern then by river bus to Tate Britain. So bus journey to the shops would be brilliant
Thanks again for putting me in touch with Ryan who let me try his travel scoot before I made the decision to buy one. Thanks Madelaine
Hello Madelaine
Impressed that you can read my blog and ride a trike at the same time.
Dropped kerbs, don’t get me going. Sometimes it is totally random, just got to keep your eyes peeled. Street corners and traffic lights are usually good places and Soho is awful. With London buses I always use the side door, the driver has a little ramp and that solves all the problem, don’t even use my Oyster card. I drive on and off using the ramp. I wlwways shout thanks to the driver when I drive off
I really enjoy trucking around London on the scooter, always get to see interesting things that I don’t normally see. Enjoy the Travelscoot especially in the sunshine.
Congratulations, Patrick – you are in my Top Five as well, so that makes you famous. I may not be in the UK anymore, but I find your posts on what is happening back there informative and sad. (I was due to face PIP when we left – for the problems of US healthcare.)