A year ago, my life changed.

After years of symptoms and uncertainty, I was diagnosed in January 2025 with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.

It has been a year of physical and mental ups and down; learning to understand my body, adapt my lifestyle and stabilise my medication.

A real turning point came after I applied for a clinical trial in Newcastle led by Professor Simon Pearce. Although I wasn’t able to take part due to the age criteria, he still took the time to listen, understand what I had been going through, and contact my GP to help optimise my medication.

I cannot stress how much that helped.

Alongside medical support, creativity has become a huge part of my wellbeing.

Even at my lowest points, I tried to keep making even if it was only for five or ten minutes. Cutting, sticking, arranging papers, noticing colour and texture… it gave me something positive to focus on when everything else felt uncertain.

Creativity hasn’t fixed everything, but it has helped me pause, breathe, process and keep going.

That is why I am so passionate about sharing low-pressure creative activities with others.

Some of Sharon's work

Lostlettersfound Sharon