I鈥檓 not a 鈥榞ood disabled person鈥�, just because I work
Artist Jackie Hagan reveals the challenges of living with a life-limiting disability, while making a living as a writer and performer.
Jackie takes nothing for granted: 鈥淚鈥檝e got working class bones,鈥� she says, 鈥渓ife has always been uncertain.鈥�
The award-winning Mancunian artist from Skelmersdale was hospitalised in 2013 with circulation problems in her leg.
She was diagnosed with a rare form of Scleroderma, a condition which causes Raynaud鈥檚 Syndrome.
Her 5 month hospital stay led to the amputation of her leg, below the knee.
The condition, which affects an estimated 19,000 people in the UK, is caused by the immune system attacking connective tissue in the body. It can be mild, but Jackie, unfortunately, has the life threatening form of the disease called Systemic Sclerosis, which can cause heart disease and kidney problems.
Following her surgery, Jackie鈥檚 life has changed unrecognisably. Before, her art was a hobby, now she uses it to pay the rent.
