‘Why do people slate the young ones?’ – Friends battling health conditions praise children for their kindness

By Charlotte Thomson

August 11 2021, 5:00 pm

Fiona Bruce (left) and Vicky Cruickshanks are impressed with the kindness of children.

Two women battling health conditions have praised children for the kindness they have shown them.

Fiona Bruce, 43, and 25-year-old Vicky Cruickshanks became friends after meeting each other at a local support group last year.

Fiona’s health has deteriorated over the years. She was diagnosed with a neurological disorder in her 30s after suffering seizures.

Now she is recovering from a nasty fall which left her hip and elbow bones shattered.

Vicky, of Aberdeen, has been in and out of hospital throughout her life suffering from a chronic lung condition, epilepsy and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

The two friends realised they had a lot in common when they first met and that they also shared positive experiences with children.

Fiona Bruce (left) and Vicky Cruikshanks have become good friends.

Vicky volunteers with the 1990 Ellon Squadron Air Cadets in the town she grew up and works as a civilian instructor teaching children life skills.

She enjoys challenging youths to get out of their comfort zones.

Vicky, who has the lung condition bronchiectasis and has been using a wheelchair for several years, said she often feels uncomfortable when strangers pass her on the street and look at her “as if she’s not all there”.

But she has been comforted by the children she’s worked with over the years.

‘Children look at you as a person and aren’t judgemental’

“Having worked with a lot of young people they don’t look at you as someone who is in a wheelchair, they look at you as a person and aren’t judgemental,” she said.

“They’re inquisitive, and I would much rather people ask questions and you are able to teach them about life and how we’re not all the same and that being different is not a bad thing.

“I don’t want people to treat me differently and with the kids they don’t.”

Vicky says the youngsters she teaches often think she is “cool” because she is so keen to take on challenges.

The sports enthusiast has played on a wheelchair basketball team – and has even taken to the skies gliding.

“I’ve gone up gliding and I’ve flown the gliders myself,” she added.

Using her own life experiences, she teaches children how to tackle their own challenges in different ways.

She added: “It’s been a good challenge for me teaching them things that after landing in a wheelchair I’ve not been able to do.

“It’s made me think outside the box and we use that as a great motivation and a challenge for kids where they have to think differently when they’re doing leadership activities.”

She said children deserved to be given the best chances in life, adding: “They do deserve more opportunities and more respect from everyone. They tend to be looked down on too much.”

‘A smile means a lot to anybody’

Fiona, also of Aberdeeen, has also had similar positive experiences with children. The former healthcare support worker was diagnosed with Extra Grey Matter Heterotopia when tests revealed there were neurons in the wrong part of her brain.

Before suffering her first seizure at the age of 38, she had been very active taking on long-distance running and regular gym classes. She is now on medication and no longer suffers seizures.

Then on January 7 this year she fell while out walking and broke her hip and elbow bones and ended up in hospital for nine weeks.

It has been a long recovery and Fiona says she feels conscious of the fact she looks different since her health deteriorated because some people react differently to her.

“I ended up losing hair,” she explained. “I haven’t worn my wig, because I got wigs, but my hair has started growing again.”

‘I’m trying to keep myself thinking positively’

But the mother-of-one said children had always been kind to her. She said: “When I used to go out for early morning walks, because I was embarrassed by the way I limp, the kids at the academy would chat to me.

“I think why do people slate the young ones because it’s the young ones who have been really nice to me.

“A smile means a lot to anybody.”

The pair have been supporting each other since becoming good friends and have built up each other’s confidence over the past year.

And Fiona recently bought a wheelchair accessible 4X4 vehicle so they can travel further distances.

She said: “It means we can get out on our road trips. Me and my friend Vicky are just going to make the most of life.

“I’m trying to keep myself thinking positively.”