The Walk Of My Life

Making it down the aisle was my biggest challenge ever…

- Jessica Taylor-Bearman, 26, from Kent

Staring down the aisle towards my fiance Samuel, 25, I felt a surge of love.

Then… ‘I think I’m going to faint!’ I gasped to my dad Colin, 55.

‘I’ve got you,’ he replied, steadying me.But this wasn’t a case of wedding jitters...

I was about to walk for the first time in 10 years!

My illness had begun at school almost a decade earlier. After a bad virus, I’d become increasingly tired, weak, unable to get through the day.

Often bed-bound, I couldn’t even watch telly, as the visuals were too strong for my eyes.

I was diagnosed with myalgic encephalopathy (ME) – and, for me, it meant admission to hospital.

I was unable to get up, and had to wear special glasses to protect my eyes, as ME can also affect your senses.

It’s hard to believe, looking at my wedding photos from this April, that I’d spent the best part of four years in hospital.

As well as ME,I had locked-in syndrome (LIS), which meant I knew what was going on around me, but couldn’t respond, due to muscle failure.

Hearing ‘How are you?’ took me 15 minutes to compute, and then I could only move my eyes in response.