Steve's reality
I had to stop working 15 years ago. I had no option when my health really took a turn.
I’d been struggling with severe pain in my right knee for about two years before finally having surgery. That’s when I was diagnosed with Osteoarthritis. I somehow managed to keep working through the pain, but eventually, it just became too much. Things got worse from there. I've now developed Osteoarthritis throughout my whole body.
I use a crutch indoors and both crutches whenever I go outside. Getting around is incredibly difficult, but I push myself because if I didn’t get out at all, I’d feel down and alone.
I receive Universal Credit and PIP. Applying for those was tough, especially since I’m not really into computers. Thankfully, the job centre helped me with the online forms. The payments I receive help cover the basics. I’m also lucky there is a bus stop just around the corner from my flat that runs from Monday to Friday, so I can still make it into town to do my shopping. After that though, I have to take a taxi home as there’s no way I could manage the bus again with all my bags and my crutches.
Being on benefits doesn’t feel great. I’m in a small studio flat and most days I’m by myself. Going out for shopping is the only time I see anyone. Prices have gone up too, which makes things harder.
Losing my mum in 2020, just before lockdown, hit me hard. I still miss her so much. And visiting and being with my dad brings me comfort. It makes things much better for me. Visiting my dad is really hard with my condition. He’s 92 now and lives over three and a half hours away. My sister moved closer to him to help out. I try to go see them when I can, but the journey is a lot. I have to get a train into London, struggle through the underground to catch another train, then a bus, and finally a taxi to his place. Before COVID, I used to take the National Express coach straight to his, then just a taxi. But that route’s been cancelled and it’s now so much longer and more exhausting.