Amy shares her story in new book after chronic pain diagnosis at university
A psychology graduate from Telford who developed a chronic pain condition while at university has told her tale in a new book.
While Amy Roberts, 29, was studying at Aston University, she was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, a poorly understood condition where a person experiences persistent, severe and debilitating pain.
She had told her story in a chapter of a new book called You Are a Limited Edition, which is a collection of lived student experiences of inspirational people who have been brave and shared their stories to help others. The book was authored by Tonia Galati for TG Publishing.
Amy now hopes to help educational institutions become more inclusive and helpful to people with disabilities, and to help disabled students get the help they need.
She said: "It's hard because doctors sometimes don't want to commit to an official diagnosis for my condition. It started when I had pain in my hip. I ended up having hip replacement surgery. There was initially some recovery but then I started to get worse.
"It's about being able to manage the condition. There are some days where I feel okay and others when I feel rubbish and I can't get out of bed.
"I was able to get a first in my degree, which I never thought I would have done. When the opportunity came up to write a chapter for this book I really wanted to make the most of it and raise awareness."
She said she appreciated help she had at university, and now the focus is on putting things in place for disabled people to feel more included, such as events and webinars.