I’ve got multiple sclerosis, diagnosed in 2012, and a brain tumour, though it’s too dangerous to operate on it. I live alone, my parents are in their 80s and my only sibling has autism. I’m often pretty lonely. If I don’t go out I don’t speak to anyone for days on end, so I force myself to get out and about: I use a wheelchair at home, and I’ve got a mobility scooter for going out.
There’s one person I can guarantee will chat with me: the guy who runs the ice-cream van down by the river. We talk about everything; he’s a mate, and I know he worries about me if he doesn’t see me for a few days.
You never really think about how much you rely on the people around you for support: you imagine there’s some big support network out there that the state should be providing, but at the end of the day it comes down to all of us, to ordinary people, being friendly and making time for one another.
He makes a huge difference to my life, the man in the ice cream van. A bit of chat, and the chance to have a laugh with someone, goes a very, very long way in a life like mine.
Is there someone you’d like to say thank you to? Write to us at magazine@observer.co.uk
