Living with a disability has shown Natasha Bunby that she’s stronger than she ever thought.
Since developing multiple sclerosis, she’s lost 11st and kept it off for more than seven years – now she’s inspiring others to reach their full potential, too.
Here she shares her story...
My husband Marc and I are sitting in our favourite place in the world, on the deck of a little cafe on Lancing Beach in West Sussex.
Marc’s sitting in his usual seat, side by side with me in my wheelchair, watching our younger son, London, 12, and his six-year-old cousin, Xena, laughing as they play in the waves.
I often wonder how different things might have been if I still weighed over 21st. Would I still be enjoying these precious moments?
As a child, I’d always been slim, then when I was 15, I lost my best friend, Cara, to meningitis. I’d turned to food as a means of coping with my grief, but soon it had become a habit.
Sign up to get the Mirror's biggest and best stories delivered straight to your inbox at www.mirror.co.uk/email
Over the years, my weight rose as I rewarded myself with food when things were good and comforted myself with it when I felt bad.
For years I’d been getting numbness in my legs, but by the age of 29 things had got so bad I couldn’t walk much at all.
I was admitted to hospital where tests revealed I had secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, a lifelong condition that affects the brain and spinal cord, causing problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation of balance, or a combination of these.
While symptoms differ from person to person, I was severely affected. Visiting me in hospital, mum took me for a push around the grounds with the boys, and she lost control of my wheelchair on a slope.
I came to a stop in a bush, but I now weighed over 21st and they couldn’t get me back to the path. Eventually, a passer-by helped, but I could tell my son, Deon, was worried. “Mum, if you’re going to be in a wheelchair, how will we do things if we can’t push you?” he said.
It was an 11-year-old’s innocent question, but it cut right to the heart of the matter. I was determined to live a full life despite my MS, and I was sure I couldn’t do that unless I lost weight. Not long after I got home, a Slimming World leaflet dropped through my door and I decided to join.
Going on my motorised scooter was nerve-racking as I knew it would make me stand out, so I sat in a corner, hoping I wouldn’t be noticed. “Don’t worry, if I can lose weight then you certainly can,” said a friendly voice.
I saw that the woman talking to me had a walking frame. Leaning in close, she gave me a lovely smile. Doreen had lost around five stone since she’d joined.
From that day, I stopped relying on the jars of pasta and curry sauce that had been our household staples and began to plan our meals.
I still had enough mobility to cook our dinners, and Marc and the boys adapted brilliantly to our healthy new meals.
We tried Slimming World versions of chilli, bolognese, Chinese takeaway-style meals and curries – and barely noticed a difference in taste.
I was made redundant later that year and it would have been easy to give up, but there was no way I was going to let it stop me getting to my goal.
By now, things like getting in the shower and pulling myself up from my wheelchair to dress myself had become easier, and I felt as though losing weight was giving me a new lease of life.
In a year and nine months, I hit my target weight. But while I’d been shedding stones, Marc had been putting them on. I knew his worries about my health had him seeking comfort in food, and I promised I’d help him lose weight.
From then on, Marc followed the plan, not only sharing my Food Optimising meals at home, but staying on plan outside the house, too. We also exercised together.
I was determined to keep up my upper-body strength I’d built up by going to the gym four times a week with Marc. He lost over 5st, and I couldn’t have been more proud of what he achieved, and the wonderful support he gave me.
As life changed, Marc’s devotion never wavered. Of course my body had changed, but it didn’t stop us being intimate, because that’s what love is – learning how to adapt through change.
In April 2016, I mentioned to Marc I’d had an idea I’d need his help with. He smiled, but couldn’t disguise the trepidation. I told him: “I’d like to become a Slimming World Consultant and run my own group to help other people.
What do you think?” Marc smiled. “I think it’s a brilliant idea!” And so my Slimming World group in Littlehampton became a Bunby family affair. Deon and London would help set up when Marc was working late, and mum would be there for me, too. And my amazing members would help us pack up afterwards.
Two years ago, we discovered Marc had leiomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer, in his leg. Having lost his mum to cancer as a teenager, and his dad nine years ago, he took the news very hard. We talked about what it would mean for us. “What will happen to you and the boys if I’m gone?” he asked.
All I could do was reassure him that I’d be there for him. Later, when the doctor told us that an operation to remove the tumour had been successful, we both blinked back tears.
Marc has since had six more operations for leiomyosarcoma in other areas, and we are still going through that journey together.
Then we got the news that my sister, Toyah, had a brain tumour. In February 2018, she died at the age of 29, leaving behind her six-year-old son, Noah.
Her death devastated the family, especially my amazing, resilient parents who must have thought there was nothing else life could throw at them.
Toyah had been so proud of my achievements with Slimming World, and would even regale the nurses at her hospice about me. Knowing how proud she’d been of me helped during that dark time.
Last September, after more than trebling the number of members in my group, I opened a second one in Lancing. Mum came over to me as I was packing up after my opening night. “I’m so proud of what you’ve achieved here,” she said. “It’s incredible.”
I got so much joy from helping people with their weight-loss journeys. After the blow of being made redundant years earlier, I felt I’d found my purpose – the job I was always meant to do. Of course, more recently my group has switched to a virtual service, yet I still get that amazing buzz from helping others and my members amaze me every day.
With my self-esteem at an all-time high, I came across a company online looking for models with disabilities for various campaigns.
“Why couldn’t I do that?” I thought. So far I’ve taken part in a photo shoot for Comic Relief, and a River Island campaign celebrating diversity called Labels Are For Clothes.
I know that without my Slimming World family, and the incredible support from mum and dad, Marc and our boys, I might never have developed the confidence to take it on.
In fact this month, we’re all busy fundraising for the MS International Federation by taking part in the May 50k. Marc is cycling 200km, Deon is running 50km and London is running and walking 50km in our back garden.
I hope my modelling will help to make wheelchair users more visible and show all of the things we can achieve.
When I was announced as Slimming World’s Top Target Consultant, I felt so proud, not just of myself, but proud to represent everyone who’s achieved their dreams living with a disability.
I want to give people hope that after a life-changing diagnosis, life can be fuller and richer than you ever imagined.
I’ve brought a sense of meaning to my life – and that means whatever happens in the future, I’ll have made a difference.
- Story originally from Slimming World Magazine, on sale on the newsstand now. Slimming World is gifting all members of its new temporary virtual groups a free copy of the May/June issue of Slimming World Magazine to thank them for their continued commitment, while stocks last.
