Latest news with #ScottishAmbulance
Daily Record
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Record
Transgender ambulance driver to scale Ben Nevis after conquering 60 years of gender dysphoria
The gruelling charity trek will signify a remarkable milestone in the Scottish Ambulance worker's life after successfully transitioning from a man into a woman. A Scots transgender ambulance driver has told how a bucket list climb up Ben Nevis will be symbolic after conquering her own personal mountain to live happily as a woman. Michelle Williams, 63, has pledged to scale Scotland's highest mountain on September 13 to help fund research for Macmillan Cancer Support. The gruelling charity trek will signify a remarkable milestone in the Scottish Ambulance worker's life after conquering 60 years of gender dysphoria to successfully transition from a man into a woman. Living for six decades as John, struggles with gender, identity and depression nearly proved fatal following two suicide attempts. But after opening up about his mental health battle and speaking to a psychiatrist during the Covid lockdown, John was diagnosed with gender dysphoria which gave him the courage to take the first step in his journey towards transitioning. 'When I was 60 I did the West Highland Way and my bucket list was to do Ben Nevis', said Michelle. 'I climbed my own personal mountain by getting a sex change and living my life full-time as Michelle, now I would like to climb Ben Nevis to raise money for this amazing charity.' Michelle, from East Kilbride, has been a blue light driver for the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) for 17 years. But before the Covid pandemic, Michelle was known to her colleagues by her birth name, John. 'I've done this quite late in life', she explained. 'Round about 2020, I decided to be Michelle full-time. I'd been in the ambulance service 12 years and everybody knew me as John. The thought of going back to work full-time as Michelle was quite frightening. 'I thought people would either be for it or totally against it, but it was more in between - as in people didn't really care, which was even better. 'You don't want preferential treatment and you don't want abuse. 'I obviously get looks every day because I'm going into hospitals, but nothing more than that.' Told it would take years to go through the NHS before being able to make the transition to Michelle, John decided to go private and spent £10,000 to fly to Thailand for gender reassignment surgery in November, 2022. And Michelle is now living her best life with the backing of her colleagues at Coatbridge Ambulance Station. She added: 'Five years on I'm still on the waiting list for the Sandyford Clinic and was told it could take another couple of years, so I'd still have been John at 65 if I waited on the NHS. 'I decided to pay for my own sex change - it's been a challenging journey. 'More or less when I started primary school and started mixing with boys and girls, I knew something was not right. 'This was 1967, there was no such thing as social media and no such thing as transgenders. 'I just thought something was wrong with me and that carried on through my teenage years into adulthood.' Feeling he needed to 'man up' a bit more, after leaving school John joined the RAF and bulked up through weight training - even getting tattoos to appear more masculine. He married his late wife and had four children before she passed away, aged 44, in 2011. 'I then had one of those lightbulb moments when I attended an event and heard about transgender people and realised 'that must be me'', said Michelle. From that moment on John would go out socialising in Glasgow on weekends as Michelle, but booked overnight stays in hotels to avoid the 'frightening' prospect of travelling on public transport dressed as a woman. Michelle said: 'I went to a pub that was very accepting of this type of thing and went back and stayed the night in a hotel and returned home as John. 'But I had the high of going out as myself, as Michelle, and afterwards you come crashing down to earth. When you're doing that time and time again, it plays with your mind and I had depression. 'I knew I couldn't go on like this because one of these days I might be successful and actually kill myself. 'When the feelings got stronger and stronger, I realised I didn't want to keep changing and go back to work on Monday as John. 'So in 2020 during the pandemic that's when I thought, 'you only get one life', and I just decided that's it, I'm going to do it. 'I saw a psychiatrist and got diagnosed with gender dysphoria then spoke to my bosses - who were fine - and took six months off after the operation in Thailand and went back - and, overall, I've had a positive reaction.' Michelle is now determined to use her story to inspire others while raising awareness and funds for cancer research after being touched by many families affected by the disease through her work. Ahead of the Ben Nevis climb in September, an 80s and 90s-themed fundraiser will be held at Greenhills Bar in East Kilbride on Sunday, August 24, to help boost funds with all ticket sales going directly to the charity. She added: 'It's taken me 60 years to live the life I want to live. I hope by sharing my story I can inspire other people like me to be happy.' Make a donation to the fundraiser here.
Glasgow Times
21-06-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow woman diagnosed with little-known bowel condition
Lorna, 56, from Glasgow, began experiencing symptoms in 2019 and initially suspected food poisoning, but her health continued to deteriorate. She said: "I lost two and a half stone in weight. "If I went out, I had to make sure I was near a toilet. "I'd even wake up at night with urgency." Eventually, under the care of gastroenterology, she underwent an endoscopy and colonoscopy. Four weeks later, biopsy results confirmed she had collagenous microscopic colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Lorna said: "After going home, I couldn't move for a week and a half without soiling myself. "I was passing pure watery stool and dreaded eating, even though I was so weak. "I was also started on prescribed steroids and had times where I felt more okay, until I started to taper off them, then my symptoms came back. "Four weeks later, the biopsy results showed that I have collagenous microscopic colitis." Read more: Portaloo transformed into mini-cinema puts spotlight on hidden health issue Microscopic colitis causes chronic diarrhoea and bowel control issues, often disrupting people's daily life and sleep. After being informed about her condition, Lorna was struck by the lack of awareness but found guidance through Guts UK, a national charity focused on digestive health. Lorna said: "After my diagnosis, I was never given any information. "I was left to learn about my condition myself. "This is when I came across Guts UK charity's information. "Microscopic colitis needs to be recognised more for what it is. "I feel the professionals don't know much about it, and nobody picked up on the warning signs sooner. "There also needs to be more awareness and support. "I don't want anyone to go through what I have, and I'd love to help contribute to more public awareness of microscopic colitis, as awareness is vital to steer future research on the condition." Guts UK is currently working to raise awareness through education and public awareness campaigns. As part of this, the team will be visiting The Forge shopping centre in Glasgow on June 26, with a "much-loved" member of their team - Colin the Colon. Read more: Glasgow students have 'best day ever' at state-of-the-art Scottish Ambulance base (Image: Supplied) Colin is a 5.5-metre-tall inflatable colon designed to help people visualise and learn about digestive conditions. This immersive experience is designed to allow visitors a chance to walk through a colon replica and explore its many digestive conditions, including Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and diverticular disease. Suzanne Hudson, chief executive of Guts UK, said: "We always get a really positive reaction to Colin. "People can't help but stop and look twice when they see a large inflatable colon. "Colin is a visual representation of our invisible and misunderstood digestive system, and he creates much-needed conversations surrounding our gut health, and we love him for that. "He is a vital part of our team."
Daily Mail
15-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Tourist, 23, plunges to her death into water at Highlands beauty spot
A 23-year-old woman has tragically died after plunging into the water at a Scottish Highlands beauty spot. Emergency services scrambled to the picturesque Rogie Falls, near Contin in Ross-shire, at around 1.45pm yesterday, as a major rescue operation was sparked. The woman was reportedly a tourist in the area and had been with others when she fell into the water. Police, Dundonnell Mountain Rescue, HM Coastguard, a helicopter and the Scottish Ambulance service were all sent to the scene. A specialist water boat was also deployed by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. But the woman was pronounced dead at the scene and police say they are not treating the death as suspicious. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 1.45pm on Saturday, June 14, we were called to a report of a woman having fallen into water in the Rogie Falls area of Wester Ross. 'Emergency services attended however the 23-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. 'There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.' The Rogie Falls are a series of waterfalls on the Black Water and are a popular destination with tourists. They lie off the A835 road, around a mile northwest of the village of Contin, and are famous for salmon viewing. Woodlands surround the waterfalls, with a bridge over them connecting to forest paths.
