“We were staying in foster care; me, my brother and my sister and we were going to get split up. No one wants three children, one with a disability and the other two quite young. Then my older brother and his wife said they’d take us in. We’ve been so lucky to have them. If my sister had got separated from us I don’t know where she’d be now.

My sister has an intellectual disability so she didn’t know what was going on most of the time. My mum was an alcoholic so she didn’t take care of us very much. I’d have to make dinner and stuff, so she was fed, and my younger brother as well. When we went to live with my brother and my sister-in-law it was really different because they did everything. It was hard not to keep being like a mother, so they had to say to me “Shine, you can just do your own thing. You don’t have to worry, we’re here now.”

I get migraines. They’re caused by stress. When I first started getting them I was freaking out. I didn’t know what was wrong. I know now and I can feel them coming so someone grabs me a bucket. It’s pretty bad. I need to find something that works for me which will make me less stressed. I’ve been given a voucher to do a resilience course. It’s amazing that I get to do it for free. My sister-in-law is really happy for me cos she thinks it will help with my anxiety and migraines.

When I moved in with my brother I started trying at school. I’ve graduated school now and doing well. I’ve applied for nursing. I’m excited, I think I’ll really enjoy it. I know there are going to be times when it’s really hard but I guess we’ll get trained to deal with it properly. It will be difficult but I think it’ll be worth it.”