Welcome to a special patient spotlight series in celebration of Dizzy Parents Day, hosted by the Dizzy Moms Club in partnership with VeDA. By sharing these real-life journeys and practical ‘dizzy parenting hacks,’ our goal is to help parents navigating chronic dizziness find their way out of isolation and into a supportive village. Each feature highlights the voice, vulnerability, and inspiring resilience of a parent navigating an invisible vestibular disorder.
Nicola G’s Story
What is your specific diagnosis (or type of chronic dizziness), and how old are your child(ren)?
I have Vestibular Migraine (and M.E.) I have a little boy who is 3 years old, and a little Shih Tzu that is 5 years old now.
What is a “dizzy parenting hack” or tool you rely on to get through the week?
My hack to get through the week is to make sure I get some ‘guilt-free’ rest, which isn’t easy. The guilt rides with us all, but we shouldn’t feel guilty for listening to our bodies.
How do you talk to your children about your dizziness in a way they can understand?
My little boy is only 3, but he knows that mummy sometimes has a poorly head and/or poorly ears, and he is so caring with this and looks after me, bringing me cups of tea and snacks from his play kitchen. I truly believe the negative of having illness has brought so much care and empathy into his little life already.
What has been the most challenging or surprising emotional hurdle of parenting with an invisible illness?
The most challenging thing of being a parent with illness is having to cancel or let him down when we have made plans, or not being able to play with him how he wants to on a particular day. Especially when in a bad flare-up and unable to go anywhere or do anything, I spent a considerable amount of time stuck in bed and could hear my little boy downstairs playing and laughing, and it broke my heart to not be able to go and join them.
What is a moment where you felt incredibly proud of yourself as a parent, despite your symptoms?
The first time my little boy said ‘I love you mummy’ and I realized he doesn’t remember the times we haven’t been able to leave the house, or we have missed out on plans; he just remembers the love that he has and that mummy found a way to play with him in other ways.
How did finding an ally network or a support group (like the Dizzy Moms Club or VeDA) shift how you view your diagnosis?
Finding other people with invisible illnesses has been such an important part of my journey and has helped me immensely, but then to find the DMC and find other dizzy mums was invaluable; to be able to talk about our experiences that are pretty much the same and to share ways to cope and manage is amazing, and I am so grateful for all of them.
Why is an international advocacy day like Dizzy Parents Day so important to you, and what message of encouragement would you send to another parent who is currently suffering alone right now?
Dizzy Parents Day is so exciting; to be a part of the first day like this is amazing. It’s so important to find as many parents as we can in this situation and let them know that we aren’t alone in this. By sharing my story, I hope to find others and let them know we have got this together.
“Strength grows in the moments when you think you can’t carry on, but you keep going anyway”