Woman sets up 'Hot Mess Express' - a group offering support for struggling mums
By Amy Reast
Meet the women who have formed the 'Hot Mess Express' - a community offering a helping hand to mums struggling to stay on top of things.
Brittinie Tran, 37, responded to an online callout for women in Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, US, to help a local mum in crisis.
She was one of a group who all showed up to help with deep cleaning, laundry, washing dishes, organising rooms, and tidying wardrobes and drawers.
The group were so moved by their experience they decided to form a community of like-minded women to help others during their time of need.
Dubbed 'Hot Mess Express' (HME), the group became a non-profit - with people free to volunteer whatever time they have.
The group respond to callouts from women - often with young children - who need hand with cleaning, tidying, organising and laundry.
Mum-of-three Brittinie, who is now president of HME, said the group is based on the proverb "it takes a village to raise a child" - and a desire to help each other out.
Brittinie, a stay-at-home mum, from Clemmons, North Carolina, said: "I saw the post asking if anyone could help out the mum with her cleaning.
"As a mum-of-three I had been there and I didn't have a village when my children were young, so I could relate to it.
"Around eight of us showed up and it was a great group - at least half are still actively involved today.
"Its so important because, as a woman and a mother, it can be very isolating.
"There's a lot of vulnerability in showing people your mess - that's why in Hot Mess we support and uplift each other with no judgement or shame."
Brittinie spotted a post shared on a Facebook group by Jen Hamilton, 33, who became the group's founder.
She was asking for local people to volunteer time to help out a struggling single mum with her housework.
After their first successful 'rescue mission' in August 2021, they took on more and more 'missions', with the group of volunteers expanding as word got around.
Now, Hot Mess Express in Triad completes a 'mission' around once a fortnight.
They have a waiting list of more than 60 people seeking help with their homes and the team of volunteers is ever-expanding.
But all across the continent, people heard of the concept and have been inspired.
Now, since the first, 276 other geographical 'chapters' of HME have sprung up all over the USA.
Brittinie, who also runs a podcast, said: "We have created that 'village' to support and uplift each other."
Woman with paralysed stomach hasn't eaten anything for eight years
By Emma Dunn
A young woman with a paralysed stomach hasn't been able to eat or drink anything for eight years - and is fed through her heart to survive.
Liv Rose, 25, has struggled with stomach pain since the age of three but says doctors dismissed it as 'tummy ache'.
She struggled to eat anything other than bland foods - such as plain pasta or chicken.
Liv began vomiting undigested food but says her symptoms were dismissed for an eating disorder at first.
She was finally diagnosed with gastroparesis - when food passes through the stomach slower than it should - and pan-gut dysmotility - where the gut does not work as it should.
Now Liv has a Hickman line which goes directly into her heart so she can receive nutrition.
Liv, who is unable to work, from Chester, Cheshire, said: "I've had gastro pain since I was three and pain with eating.
"I had to fight to get diagnosed.
"My parents were made to feel they were overbearing.
"You don't realise how much life revolves around food until it's taken away from you."
Liv struggled with pain when eating from the age of three.
She said: "I went to the doctors frequently but I was dismissed.
"They said 'kids get tummy ache'.
"As I grew the pain got worse."
Liv's health deteriorated further when she was 17.
She said: "I was living off bland foods.
"Rich foods are more painful.
"I ate plain foods like pasta without sauce and pain chicken."
Liv's symptoms worsened when she suddenly started vomiting 2017 at the age of 17.
She said: "It happened out of the blue."
Liv went from vomiting once a week to once a day to throwing up every time she tried to eat.
She said: "Anything I ate always came back up.
"It came back up undigested.
"We went to the GP and they automatically said 'you're doing it to yourself'.
"I was desperate to eat.
"I had to go to an eating disorder unit. I spent all day at a unit being assessed before they realised I was showing no signs of an eating disorder."
Liv was then monitored and underwent a gastric emptying study before she was diagnosed with gastroparesis in March 2017.
She was fitted with a nasal feeding tube and given different treatments to try and ease her symptoms.
Liv had Botox injected into her stomach to try and hold the sphincter in place - to help the food pass through.
But doctors realised Liv also had an issue with her stomach and following tests on her gut she was diagnosed with pan-gut dysmotility at the end of 2017 - aged 18.
As Liv was still malnourished and wasn't maintaining weight, she was put on a Hickman line so she could be fed directly through her heart in January 2018.
Liv has to clean the line carefully and regularly - as there is a high rick of blood infections such as sepsis.
The line also puts pressure on her kidney and liver.
She said: "It's a very scary way to be fed.
"My weight is stable. My nutrition is stable.
"I have a lot more energy. My quality of life has improved."
Liv has her bloods taken every two weeks and had to adjust to not being able to eat and enjoy the taste of food anymore.
She said: "When I could eat I still got to enjoy the taste of food.
"It's difficult to go to not being able to eat.
"Food is such a big part of life. It's an experience.
"I won't stay in the room when my family are eating.
"I miss ice cream. I miss pizza - just fun foods."
Liv was also diagnosed with nutcracker syndrome - a rare vein compression disorder - in 2021 which doctors believe may be contributing to some of her gastro pain.
Liv underwent surgery in the same year as one of her veins was being compressed and she had it taken out and replaced with a prosthetic vein.
Liv also has visceral neuropathy - which doctors are now investigating to see if it is causing her gut issues.
She said: "I'm able to get up and walk the dogs.
"I'm able to spend time with my family.
"My family has been incredible."
Woman obsessed with orange - wears shades of it every day, has orange hair and flat
By Freddie Noble
Meet the woman obsessed to the colour orange - who wears shades of it every day, has orange hair and lives in an orange flat.
Sheri Scott, 37, has loved the colour for as long as she can remember - because it's "bright and colourful".
When she was 21, Sheri dyed her blonde hair so it was bright ginger - colouring it again two weeks later when it wasn't "orange enough".
Sheri's wardrobe is now filled with orange clothes - including jeans, tops and dresses.
In February 2020, Sheri moved into her two bed flat which she has decorated with different shades of orange. She has an orange walls, sofas, cupboards, radiators and drawers.
Sheri, a business strategist and content creator, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: "My entire wardrobe is completely orange.
"I've always been inspired by cartoons - so bright colours, shapes and textures. It has always been something that I've been drawn to.
"One of my biggest inspirations for my style is cartoons, so when I picture myself or picture in my head it is usually in cartoon form.
"I call my wardrobe the orange womb because they always say if you are creating a wardrobe space then it should be neutral so you can dress properly so my neutral is orange."
Sheri has loved the colour orange for as long as she can remember.
She said: "Cartoons have just always been a massive inspiration for me - whether it be aesthetically or personally and something that I can relate to.
"I love the energy of Miss Piggy, Inspector Gadget, Gonzo Style and Scooby Doo.
"I feel like cartoons bring a sense of fun."
Sheri believes wardrobes should be fun and loves 'dopamine dressing' - wearing colourful clothes to boost your mood.
Her wardrobe is filled with, orange socks, t-shirts, trousers, and dresses.
She said: "I don't have one piece of black clothing in my wardrobe and has had one black dress but it had lime accents on it.
"If I wear black, I feel like an imposter.
"I feel it's really important to me the way I feel in my clothes and how I've taken myself to the world is really important or my self expression."
After moving into her flat in February 2020, Sheri is still working on transforming the house into her orange oasis.
Sheri said: "It brings me a load of joy - it's self expression really.
"I can't draw and I'm not a musician so it's the way I can express myself and just enjoy the art of play."
In Sheri's house you can find:
- Orange radiator
- Orange teddy bears
- Orange wardrobe
- Orange drawers
- Orange painting
- Orange sofa
- Orange pillows
Near-Earth asteroid traced to huge crater on Moon
By Dean Murray
A near-Earth asteroid has been traced to a huge crater on the Moon.
Space rock 2016 HO3, also known as Kamo'oalewa, is thought to have been blasted off the lunar surface, leaving the 14-mile-wide Giordano Bruno crater on the moon's far side.
A new study suggests the asteroid is unlike other relatively close asteroids, which are thought to hail from the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
The find also marks the first time scientists have traced an asteroid to its exact place of origin.
The study published in the journal Nature Astronomy says Kamo'oalewa, which has a similar orbit around the Sun as Earth, has been hurtling through space for several million years.
Selected as the target of China’s Tianwen-2 mission, Kamo'oalewa measures between 150 and 190 feet in diameter, making about half the size of the "London Eye" ferris wheel.
According to lead study author Yifei Jiao, a visting scholar at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, the report is the first account of a potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid that has been linked to a specific crater on the moon.
To shed light on the mystery, the research team used impact and dynamical modeling. According to the simulations, it would have required an impactor of at least 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) in diameter to launch a large fragment like Kamo'oalewa beyond the moon's gravitational pull.
While the lunar surface is riddled with thousands of craters from impacts spanning the moon's 4.5 billion year-history, only Giordano Bruno with its 14-mile diameter and estimated 4 million years of age fits the bill in terms of size and age, making it the most probable source of Kamo'oalewa's origin.
Erik Asphaug, co-author and Lunar and Planetary Laboratory professor, says: "This was a surprise, and many were skeptical that it could come from the moon.
"For 50 years we have been studying rocks collected by astronauts on the surface of the moon, as well as hundreds of small lunar meteorites that were ejected randomly by asteroid impacts from all over the moon that ended up on Earth. Kamo'oalewa is kind of a missing link that connects the two."
According to Asphaug, the model provides more than just an explanation for the origin story of one particular asteroid. How massive rocks can be ejected from the surface of a planet and survive intact can be informative for fundamental questions, such as the origin of life in the universe.
One such theory, known as panspermia, suggests that life – or its ingredients – could have been brought to planetary bodies from other sources across space, in the form of "organic hitchhikers" coming along for the ride, Asphaug explained.
"While Kamo'oalewa comes from a lifeless planet, it demonstrates how rocks ejected from Mars could carry life – at least in principle," he said.
First time mum says pregnancy masked cancer symptoms - after docs discover tumour
By Ben Barry
A first time mum with cancer says pregnancy masked her symptoms - after doctors discovered a tumour in her chest at 32 weeks.
Zoe Plastiras, 24, woke up struggling to breathe in September 2022 and called 111. She was told to go to A&E where she had a chest x-ray.
At 32 weeks, doctors discovered a 12cm tumour in Zoe's chest, but were unable to discover whether it was cancerous or not until she gave birth.
Her daughter, Ophelia, one, was born at 37 weeks on October 4, 2022, and in December 2022, Zoe underwent a biopsy which revealed she had lymphoma - a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system.
Zoe had no cancer symptoms - which she believes was masked by pregnancy - but after Ophelia was born she lost a stone, started having night sweats and itchy skin.
Zoe has undergone chemotherapy and radiotherapy but both have not worked and she is in limbo while doctors decide next steps.
Zoe, a beautician, from High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said: "I was so happy when I found out I was pregnant with Ophelia.
"I felt so positive - that everything was going to be fine.
"Up until my diagnosis, everything was completely normal - I had a straightforward pregnancy.
"I woke up one morning and said I felt like I wasn't breathing properly and then found out I had a tumour in my chest."
In February 2022, Zoe and her partner Joe Bird, 28, a heating engineer, found out they were expecting their first child
Zoe said they were "so happy" about the news and felt able to relax.
The pregnancy was "normal" until Zoe woke up one morning struggling to breathe so went to the hospital.
Zoe said: "I was 32 weeks pregnant, I woke up struggling to breathe so my partner said we should go to hospital.
"They tested my heart, I had bloods and an MRI. They told me I had a tumour but said they were happy for my pregnancy to continue as normal.
"When they told me it was a tumour they used the word 'mass' but it didn't correlate.
"I asked if they were testing me for cancer and I was so shocked as I had no symptoms."
Zoe said she was told that she had a 1 per cent chance of being diagnosed with a lymphoma because she wasn't presenting with any typical symptoms - including fatigue, night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
Her pregnancy carried on as normal and baby Ophelia was born via emergency c-section on October 4, 2022, at 6.54am, weighing 6lbs 3oz.
Zoe said: "I went into labour but I was not in pain.
"Three days later I was leaking and said they needed to do something about me.
"Because I had been leaking for so long doctors said it would be dangerous for me to give birth and we had an emergency c-section."
On November 8, 2022, Zoe had two needle biopsies that were unsuccessful as they were unable to retrieve a sample.
A few weeks later, on December 19, Zoe went for another biopsy and three days later was told she had a lymphoma.
Zoe said: "Once Ophelia was out I lost weight very quickly, I thought it was weird.
"It is like my pregnancy masked the symptoms, once Ophelia was out it was like the cancer took over.
"I went from being 11 stone with my pregnancy weight to being 9lb 2oz - the weight fell off me."
Zoe spent the Christmas in "limbo" after being told that a consultant would call her after the holidays to discuss treatment options.
She said: "I got the diagnosis and made sure I enjoyed myself, as a cancer patient you're always thinking 'what if this is my last Christmas?'.
"I had this awful wait, it was horrible, it was one of the worst times of my life - they called me on January 2."
Zoe then had six rounds of chemotherapy which shrunk the tumour down from 12cm to 1cm.
She then went on to have radiotherapy and waited three months to see if the cancer had gone.
She said: "I thought I was going to be cancer free, I got the results after Ophelia's first birthday which said it had grown to 2.5cm.
"I was devastated, I couldn't believe it.
"In October 2023, they started testing me again and I got put on a trial where I had inpatient chemotherapy.
"I would stay in hospital for four days and had one in January, February and March."
Zoe is now awaiting next steps as the tumour has still has not gone away.
She said: "Now I am either going to have stem cell transplant with my own cells or CAR T-cell therapy.
"I don't know what the next steps are, I feel sad and angry.
"It has ruined the way I feel about my experience as a first time mum."
Grandad spends 25 years turning garden into - Wild West 'town'
By Megan Carr
Meet the grandad who has spent 25 years transforming his back garden into a - Wild West 'town'.
Stephen Smart's Dude Ranch includes a saloon, jailhouse, bank, haberdashery and even an undertakers at the rear of his semi-detached home in Sheppey, Kent.
The 65-year-old has long been fascinated with the films starring the likes of Clint Eastwood and John Wayne, which inspired him to construct his very own old-style town.
But, despite his Wild West obsession, he's never actually been to America.
Mr Smart - who's also known simply as 'Dude' - began modelling his property, which now resembles a Hollywood film set, on the American frontier period around 25 years ago.
A retired lorry driver, he said: "I just had a fascination for the Wild West.
"It started with country music, then looking up the time period and then I started going to a few themed parties.
“I wanted somewhere to go basically, so I built the town. It's not a normal garden.
"It started with little buildings and then the saloon and then it just took off from there.”
Despite claiming he's no carpenter, dad-of-four Mr Smart has handcrafted all the convincing Wild West buildings in his garden.
The front of his home is similarly decked out with a graveyard, old wagon wheels, swinging saloon doors and a sign welcoming visitors to the Dude Ranch more suited to 19th-century Kansas than 21st-century Kent.
Another of his hobbies is wooden sign making, any profits from which he puts towards making improvements to his town.
Mr Smart said: “I’m adding to it all the time, making things, there is always something to do.
"From the front, I think it looks good and people say it looks good.
"People come and knock on the door and ask if they can take photos and I'll say to them, ‘If you want you can come and look at the garden as well’.
“So they do and they're just fascinated. They just can't believe that they're going into a garden which is built like this.”
Luckily for Mr Smart, wife Denise is very understanding of her husband's hobby.
The couple even had their wedding reception in the Dude Ranch garden.
And though his current neighbours don't mind his obsessive hobby, Mr Smart says previous neighbours haven't always been so supportive.
"My wife is great," Mr Smart said. "I met her when I was already into all of this so she just gets that it is my hobby.
“Nowadays I do get on with my neighbours but previously, before they moved out, I did have a neighbour who always reported me.
“But now everyone in the area knows me. My kids think I’m stupid and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I love it here.”
The back garden boasts a livery, a general store, a marshal's office, an old shack, barbers, a jailhouse, a bank, a haberdashery, an undertakers and the centrepiece saloon - which provides the perfect setting for parties.
Mr Smart said: "We’ve had parties and everything in the saloon, lots of them, including my daughter's 16th and my wife's 50th.
"It's lovely you know and it's just somewhere to go rather than going out. I do it just for the love of it; it's a hobby, like somebody going to play golf.
"They have to buy new clubs. Well, I have to buy a new roof.
“A lot of people ask why. Some people think I'm an idiot, they think I'm mad to have done it but when they see it, it changes their mind.
“Obviously we don’t get the Wild West weather here so I’m always repairing things and keeping on top of it.
“I just collect things and a lot of people give me gifts, it's fantastic.
“Now a lot of people know who I am and what I've got and all that, I come home after I've been out and there's something on my doorstep.”
Having collected hundreds of items of rare Wild West memorabilia including belt buckles, statues, and cooking utensils and spending hundreds on expensive cowboy boots and other clothing, Mr Smart says he's lost track of how much money he's spent.
He said: "To be honest, I wouldn't like to put a price on it. I've spent thousands of hours on it.
"If your hobby's golf, you don't count how many golf balls you've used over the years.
“I’m quite into the fashion of the time as well and I actually get my boots from America. The cheapest pair I have was £200 and my dearest pair are about £450.
“I’ve stopped buying so much now because I've got a lot of gear.
"I've got a cavalry uniform, a gamblers outfit, an undertakers outfit, the barmen outfit, I've got every outfit for every building so when people come out I can be a different character.
"It's great. I love it.”
Although construction has slowed in recent years due to his arthritis, Mr Smart says he’s still 'plodding on' with his hobby.
But having never yet been to America, he thinks he might now be too old to do so.
Mr Smart said: “I was saving to go to America, but then my friend in Australia was diagnosed with Stage four cancer and I went to see him instead.
"I think I’m too old to go now. The Wild West isn’t being carried on anymore.
"There used to be a big community around it but it involved older people who are now dying and the younger generations aren’t interested.
“It's a shame, but they’re into the digital world now.
“I’ve got my own paradise in my back garden and even though my home is on a main road, down the bottom of my garden is like a different world.”
"We saved a pigeon from drowning - and now he's part of the family"
By Elizabeth Hunter
A dad who saved a baby pigeon from drowning has kept him as a pet - and even takes him on walks with a leash.
Philip Weston-Thomas, 42, saw the pigeon struggling for survival while walking with his daughter and his wife Rebecca around Roath Park Lake, Cardiff in January.
The couple's 14-year-old daughter spotted the bird, and Philip jumped into action to scoop the pigeon from the freezing lake.
The pigeon, who the family have named Bobbi, was freezing and shaking - and so they took him home to nurse back to health.
After just 24 hours, Bobbi was back on his feet, with Philip and Rebecca planning to release him back into the wild when he was back to full health.
But Bobbi quickly bonded with the family, following them around the house and considering himself "part of the flock" - and so they made the decision to keep him as a pet.
"In January this year, we were walking around Roath Park in Cardiff and my daughter spotted Bobbi in the water and he was in distress," Philip said.
"I could see it wasn’t looking good. I took my socks and shoes off, rolled up my jeans and climbed under the bridge to fish the pigeon out.
"I didn’t think it would make it – it was gasping for breath and on his last legs.
"It was particularly cold that day as well, parts of Roath Park lake was frozen over.
"We fished it out, wrapped it up and took it home – but I wasn’t sure if it would survive or not.
"At first, it was just about warming it up and giving it somewhere comfortable to nest.
"We were giving him bits of fruit and grains, and it was about 24 hours before it really started showing signs of coming back to normal and moving around a bit.
"The initial plan was to make sure it was healthy and then take it back and release it.
"We very quickly realised it was a fledgling pigeon – about four weeks old from what we gathered.
"We did consider looking for a rescue or charity, but it had started to bond with the family, especially my daughter - and we decided that we’d like to keep it and look after it ourselves.
"It’s relatively independent, but I think it sees us as the flock."
Bobbi has free reign of the house during the day, and is fitted with "pigeon pants" - small pieces of fabric designed to act as a nappy for pigeons.
The family even take Bobbi for walks, with a custom leash designed to strap onto the pigeon pants - but say they can't make it five yards without being stopped.
"We put food out for it, and we let it do what it wants around the house," Philip said.
"We make sure it’s got food, water, and a bowl to bathe in, because they like water and they like to keep themselves clean.
"We change the pants regularly to make sure they’re clean and there’s not waste in them. At the end of the night, the pants come off and he’s back in the cage and off to sleep.
"If it’s a nice day and we’re going somewhere quiet, we’ll take him on a walk – we’ve got a little leash that we attach to the pigeon pants so we can go for a walk.
"We usually get stopped every five yards because people have never seen a pigeon in pants, let alone walking on a lead.
"When we’re going somewhere in the car, he’ll sit on my shoulder, whether I’m the passenger or the driver.
"For the most part, he’s very friendly and likes to be fussed over, but he does have his moments where he’s had enough of people, and he’ll give a little peck to tell you to leave him alone.
"He’s very curious, even when he’s just sat up on a perch, he watches everything and makes little noises.
"He’s got his own little personality."
Stay-at-home dad Philip and cancer nurse Rebecca have now started sharing their adventures with Bobbi on their TikTok, @bobbipigeon, after seeing the response from people in person.
"We’ve only been doing it for about a week or so, but the response we’re getting has been very positive," said Philip.
"It’s been a positive response so far but I’m very aware there will be people who don’t believe we should have rescued it or kept it.
"But he's naturally become part of the family now."
Britain's strongest gran bidding for gold months after taking up powerlifting
By Adam Dutton
Britain's strongest gran is bidding for gold just months after taking up powerlifting “by accident”.
Dr Martine Barons, 63, will lift for Great Britain at the European Championships in Finland this summer.
The 5ft 6ins mum-of-two, who has four grandchildren, started lifting weights for fun but soon realised she was naturally talented.
Martine now trains three times a week while working full-time as an academic researcher at Warwick University.
Her hard work is paying off and she can now deadlift a colossal 125kg (19.7st) and squat 80kg (12.6st).
Martine, who gained her PhD in statistics when she was aged 52, scooped gold at her first tournament just weeks after taking up powerlifting.
Martine, from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks., said: “I took up powerlifting by complete accident.
“I went to a gym with a friend of mine who is a PT instructor and she showed me how to deadlift.
“She was impressed that I could pick up 60kg. Then I picked up 100kg a few weeks later.
“I’ve been deadlifting for 16 weeks, six weeks for squats and eight for bench press.
“It must be good genetics. I’m unusually strong for my age and gender.
“I only joined the gym a year ago. I kind of fancied joining the gym but it's scary and full of scary machines.
“I had left free weights to the boys and used the machines where I knew that would keep me safe.
“I didn’t know my numbers were good at the time.
“I was doing the calf press, leg press, and lateral pull downs. It was a lot of strength training. Nothing in particular.
“I enjoyed my time with my friend and to be told that I was good is always nice.
“The progress was coming quickly and that made it a pleasurable process.
“I’m a person who needs a goal so when she said you should compete, it was all hands on deck. I’ve found I'm good at something, why not.
“I’m not the kind of person who has never been good at sport.
“To be good at a sport for the first time is kind of nice.
“It’s been an absolute maze to find out about it. I’m thinking about writing an idiot's guide to it.
“People assume when a woman joins a gym they take her to the cardio machines. When a man joins, it’s straight to the weights.
“I go three times a week.
“It’s often a shorter visit as we’re having to fit it in around work appointments.
“I keep it relatively low as I'm aware that menopausal women take longer to recover. It’s much slower in that phase of life.
“I enjoy it, I've been known to do three hours. I can’t get enough of it when I’m in the groove.”
Martine won gold at the Amateur British Powerlifting Union qualifier championships earlier this month.
She is now tipped to represent Great Britain in the European championships in Finland in June and the British Championships in Manchester in July.
Martine said: “My age category is for competitors aged 60 to 64.
“It is just remarkable, I was never any good at sport at school or in my early adult life.
“I’ve always struggled with coordination but something has just clicked with powerlifting.
“Nothing feels like success, it has kept me going. It feels like I'm walking in with no effort.
“It has been an emotional rollercoaster.
“It was a new experience as I've not been a competitor before.
“I’ve qualified for everything I can. I’ve got a reasonable chance of bringing home a British record.
“My heaviest deadlift is 125kg, while the record is 120kg.”
Martine’s family have shown her full support with her son’s taking their mum to the gym and spotting her for her training.
She added: “The two younger sons are gym bros but they don’t compete. They were very happy for me and reassuring for me.
“They said it was remarkable. They took me to their gym with them.
“The youngest one in particular helped me prepare by having a few extra sessions. He spotted for me.
“I’m an old fat grandma and no one expected me to do this.
“I don’t look like a powerlifter. I’m quite heavy and I do keep myself reasonably fit, but it is surprising.
“I think the importance is for women’s health. I don’t think powerlifting should be off the table.
“Two ladies at work have started coming to the gym with me and has started coming to the gym with me.
“I want to go home and bring back that British record. I’m proud to be represent my country, it’s not something I thought I'd ever do. It’s weird, it’s like a fairy tale.”
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Woman battled brain tumour while pregnant - after her dad died of the same cancer
By Emma Dunn
A woman fell pregnant with a "miracle baby" while battling a brain tumour - after her dad died of the same cancer.
Paige Gouge, 27, was diagnosed with diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM) - an aggressive brain tumour - aged 25.
Her dad, Mark Gouge, had passed away at age 37 from the same cancer in June 2000.
Paige underwent a debulking surgery - as well as radiotherapy, chemotherapy and privately-funded immunotherapy treatment in Germany - throughout 2022 and 2023.
To Paige's surprise, she fell pregnant naturally last year – something doctors had said was unlikely to happen.
The HR manager and her fiancé, Taylor Allen, welcomed their healthy baby boy, Alfred, into the world on April 1, 2024.
Paige, from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, is hoping to restart her immunotherapy treatment in Germany next month and is crowdfunding to help cover the costs.
Her brother, Ryan Gouge, 34, ran the London Marathon in her honour on raised £6,355 for the charity Brain Tumour Research.
Ryan, a graphic designer, from Harold Wood, East London, said: “Paige was back working full-time and trying to lead as normal a life as possible.
“She was so happy with the fact she was pregnant that the apprehension about what could happen without her being on treatment - although it was something she and Taylor had to really think about - took a backseat.
"Now she needs to get that back on track.
“I wouldn’t have run a marathon and pushed myself through that pain without having a good reason and the charity gave me that.
“Knowing what Paige is going through and how little research has progressed since we lost my dad makes me want to help.
"What I’ve done is a small drop in a large ocean but if everyone does their bit, then things have got to improve for people like Paige in the future."
Paige had experienced headaches and low energy - but put it down to a low iron count.
Following a seizure and an MRI scan, Paige was diagnosed with glioblastoma in October 2021.
In March 2022 she started her treatment but unexpectedly found out she was pregnant in summer 2023 - and had to pause her treatment.
After welcoming baby Alfred in April 2024, Paige is ready to get back to her treatment - and went along to watch her brother run the marathon last Sunday.
Ryan said: “It was so important to me that I didn’t let anyone down that I felt the weight of the world on me, but, thankfully, I got through it.
“I had 35 supporters including family and ex-colleagues, so that helped, and the other Brain Tumour Research runners were amazing. I felt pure relief at crossing the finish line.
“Taylor stayed at home because of a knee injury so he had Alfred and Paige came to watch me run. When I saw her, the scale of what we had done hit me.
“Having her there was the most important thing for me. If she hadn’t been, I’m not sure it would have had the same impact, but the fact she was and she was so supportive was great.
"She even bought me a gift bag with a massage gun in it to give me after the race.”
Carol Robertson, national events manager for Brain Tumour Research, said: “Paige’s story is a stark reminder of the indiscriminate nature of brain tumours, which can affect anyone at any time.
"They’re the biggest cancer killer of the under 40s and yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to brain tumours since records began in 2002.
“We’re determined to change that, but we can’t do it alone.
"We’re really grateful to Ryan for taking on this huge challenge for us and we wish Paige the best of luck with motherhood and her continued treatment. Together we will find a cure."
To donate to Paige’s crowdfunding page visit www.gofundme.com/f/gtz5b3-paiges-2nd-chance-at-life.
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Lad who lost his foot at 18 months now models for Primark, Amazon and Schuh
By Hannah Van De Peer
A little boy who lost his foot at 18 months has become a model and now he travels the world posing for famous brands including Primark, Amazon and Schuh.
Arlo Tate, nine, was diagnosed with fibular hemimelia - a missing fibula - at birth.
An "abnormality" was picked up at his 20-week scan - but doctors were unsure what his condition was at the time.
His right foot was bent inwards so doctors suggested his parents allow them amputate his foot so he could learn to walk with a prosthetic leg.
Mum Naomi, 38, says walking with prosthesis was incredibly easy and Arlo hasn't let his disability hold him back.
Naomi says his friends weren’t aware Arlo even had a disability - as he plays football, basketball and rugby with them.
In March 2020, Arlo was scouted by a diverse modelling agency who wanted to sign him up and he has since travelled to Prague, London and Manchester - being paid £500 a shoot for brands like Primark, Amazon and Schuh.
Naomi, a property investment consultant, from Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, said: “Arlo has beaten the odds to become a model before he’s even turned 10.
“I thought it was a scam at first - but it’s amazing to see him modelling for all these top brands.
“He gets looked after really well - every job he goes on, it’s all very luxurious.
“We get to take him to toy shops and let him have his pick to spend his wages - and he makes £500 per shoot.
“It doesn’t faze him at all that he’s earning all this money - he just loves sightseeing and making new friends.”
Naomi was told at her 20-week scan that her son would be born with an “abnormality” - despite having a "normal" pregnancy beforehand.
But doctors weren’t exactly sure what the abnormality would be - and his missing fibula was discovered at birth.
Due to his missing fibula and abnormal tibia - which was bent sideways - Arlo’s right foot curled inwards and he only had three toes.
Naomi said: “It was significantly shorter than his left leg. It would’ve grown, just at a really slow pace.
“I went straight on Facebook to look for other mums going through the same thing, it did make me feel less alone.”
While speaking to the other mums, Naomi began to weigh up her options.
She heard she’d be able to get leg lengthening surgery for Arlo - which is usually an option for patients with a shortened fibula.
But doctors told her it wouldn’t be possible - as they’d be unable to extend or replace bones that weren’t there to begin with.
After 18 months of research, Naomi and Arlo’s care team decided amputation would be the best route.
She said: “We decided the best way would be to amputate his right foot.
“At the beginning, I was really nervous.
“But in the three months before surgery, doctors fitted Arlo with a prosthetic leg, which had a set of five little toes.
“He absolutely loved it. It gave him the flexibility of being able to walk - and he could even put a shoe on it.
“I knew amputation would be the best decision - he wouldn’t know any different and could learn to walk with the prosthetic.
“Ultimately, I had to think about it like - his foot is useless to him, and a prosthetic would give him a lifetime of mobility.
“They’re just replacing something that isn’t useful to him with something that is.”
On July 6, 2016, aged one, Arlo had his right foot amputated and continued learning to walk with his prosthetics.
Naomi says he didn’t have any difficulty at all and got stuck in with as many sports and running clubs as possible as he got older.
In March 2020, Naomi and Arlo decided to spend lockdown making prank videos on TikTok.
The account received a message from a talent scout for a modelling agency - which Naomi initially thought was a scam.
But when the main verified account sent her a message later on, she realised it was real.
“The agency contacted me on TikTok,” Naomi said.
“I thought it was a bit of a joke, but they said they wanted to sign Arlo up.
“We chatted on the phone - then I said to Arlo ‘you’ve got a contract to work - you’re going to start earning your own money.'
“He wasn’t fazed at all.”
Within four months, Arlo jetted straight to Prague, Czech Republic, to shoot his first campaign.
The shoot was for Amazon - which was due to go live in North America, South Africa and China. He was paid £500.
It lasted four days and Naomi says it was set up like a “movie studio”.
She added: “His first job was a really big one - there was movie equipment all set up.
“We had a chauffeur pick us up from the airport, and they held his name up on a card at the gate.
“We really got looked after in luxury.”
Arlo says he’s been really enjoying his new side hustle and loves the adventure and luxury that come with it.
Arlo said: “It’s really fun - I like to travel around.
“My favourite things to do are sightseeing and making new friends.”
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