General Enquiries 03455 211 811
Support Helpline 03455 211 300
Fundraising 03455 211 600

Latest news

"My mantra is, tell me I can't, and I will show you that I can"

Elizabeth in her adapted vehicle

Elizabeth Grant is 63 and has spina bifida yet she has never let that define who she is! Today, on World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day she wanted to share some of her own insights into living with a disability and what it means to her.

“I was one of seven children so there wasn’t much time for molly-coddling when I was born! My parents were practical people so when my brothers were doing something my dad would just try to find a solution so I could take part in the activity as well. They always looked for a way that I could do something rather than think I couldn’t.


Because of this, I am as self-sufficient as I can be. That is not to say life is easy as it’s not. Over the years I have been through a lot, about 40 years ago I had my right hipbone removed and for nearly 20 years I have had an open wound which the surgeon can’t do anything about without creating a whole other set of issues. Through all of that the biggest challenge I have faced was losing my husband 12 years ago. We complemented each other so well; it was difficult to deal with.


Despite all of this, I want to show others that life does not stop because of disability. I make sure that I spend my time doing everything that I want to in life, I let nothing hold me back. I go to tai-chi class, I’m involved in my local church, I love my garden, I’m a Cub leader and I have a courageous cat called Jasmine. I even had the opportunity to go canoeing recently and loved it – although thanks to health and safety, by the time I had all the life jackets and harnesses on I couldn’t move my arm to use the oars!”

SBH Scotland then asked Elizabeth what advice she would give to younger people living with disabilities. She continued,

“Don’t let people tell you what you need or want – you know what you want and you know your own condition. It always makes me very frustrated when people tell me what I want, for instance, I use a manual wheelchair and people constantly tell me I need a powerchair. However, I don’t want a powerchair, I am very happy manually pushing myself, so I will continue to do so!

It’s also so important to try and do as much as you can for yourself and fight tooth and nail for the right to do so.”

Many thanks to Elizabeth for sharing her story. #WSBHD

Share this post on …

Comments: 0 (Add)

Support us

Because of you we provide a lifetime commitment of support. Please continue to support us or donate today. Thank you.

Make a donation

Our latest news

Hospital Saturday Fund donate £14,000 to SBH Scotland
Hospital Saturday Fund donate £14,000 to SBH Scotland25 Scottish charities received donations in February

Brave Mum's Prove Sky's the Limit for Charity Supporting their Children
“If my son can overcome brain surgeries and daily headaches then I knew I could jump out the sky for 5 minutes to raise awareness and money for a good cause.”

Local family announces the return of their sparkling fundraiser to raise vital funds for SBH Scotland
Time to get tickets for a sparkling dinner in the North!

More news
Follow @SBHScotland on Twitter

SBH Scotland on Facebook

Our newsletter

We’d like to keep you up-to-date with information on our charity.

Sign up here for our newsletters.

* indicates required

Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland will use the information you provide on this form to be in touch with you and to provide updates and marketing. Please let us know all the ways you would like to hear from us:

You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at communications@sbhscotland.org.uk. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking below, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices here.

Loading