Episode 4 - Extreme Juggling
three 30+ women, mothers sit in a pub garden at night
Click here to access the full transcript of this episode
This week our topic is “extreme juggling”. We talk to full time architect and mum, Helen Gamble-Shields about the challenges faced whilst juggling roles as carer, mum and architect and what she has learnt along the way.
Helen’s wonderful humour combined with her raw accounts of diagnosis, epilepsy and having to be in that constant state of alert give us a deep insight into their lives.
We learn a lot about the extremes of juggling life from finding childcare for a young child with complex needs, and getting the appropriate support and funding to the balancing act after returning to full time work.
All three Mums talk about their very different experiences and the choices they have made about going back to paid work and the impact of the unpaid work they do as Mum’s and carers to disabled children.
Trigger and Content Warnings
Epilepsy
Intubation
Not suitable for little ears
Language - lots of swearing, mentions of drinking alcohol.
Guest Biography
Helen grew up in the blusterous but beautiful North Coast of Ireland, a place she still calls home. After studying architecture in Edinburgh, Kansas and Paris, Helen moved to London to practice, married her husband Marcus, a rugged Scot, and they had Finn ‘the tornado’ in 2015. Marcus and Helen’s world was rocked when Finn had his first seizure at 4 months old, soon after which he was diagnosed with the genetic condition Dravet Syndrome.
The family live in Kentish Town, North London where they frequently ‘buggy-run’ Finn through Hampstead Heath and the Regents Canal. Helen works full time as an Architect (and also once worked in a circus!) She gets great satisfaction from her work, especially knowing she gets to go home to a great BIG Finnster hug.
Resource Links
Dravet Syndrome - https://www.dravet.org.uk/
IPSEA - https://www.ipsea.org.uk/
Statistics cited at the start of the episode were from reports commissioned by the Working Families Charity:
https://workingfamilies.org.uk/news/off-balance-parents-of-disabled-children-and-paid-work/
https://www.workingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/WF_OffBalance_FINAL1.pdf
