Kirsty herself is the first to admit that life was hard, " bringing up 5 children on your own isn't easy for anyone, and when one of them has severe learning difficulties, then that makes life just that little bit more of a challenge, but we survive for the sake of our children, they are what keeps us going"
Born in Merseyside Kirsty married at the age of 20 and had her first son at the age of 24, "I can always remember all my friends and family coming to me with their various problems, they used to tell me I had a natural ability for seeing a way out of a situation no matter how significant it was." But while Kirsty was offering everyone else a shoulder to cry on her own personal world was in turmoil, with a 16 week old baby her marriage was in shreds as the man she loved had resorted to violence and Kirsty was taking regular beatings from him.
She left when her son was 17 weeks old, lived with an Aunt for a few weeks until a court heard her case and evicted her spouse from the marital home and allowed her back in.
Four years later she met her second partner, and they stayed together for 10 years and had two sons, not long after the birth of their second son Kirsty woke up one morning to find that her partner had left. There was no explanation. "I was devasted, I thought the relationship was going to last forever, I started blaming myself thinking there was something wrong with me" On the verge of a breakdown Kirsty upped her roots and moved area, feeling like a fresh start away from the memories was the best solution. Before long she found another partner, and after a two year courtship Kirsty gave up her house to live with him, her fourth son was born a year further into the relationship, "When they told me he was going to have severe learning difficulties, I couldnt quite take it all in, why? was it something I had done during the pregnancy that had caused it? I had so many questions but no one could give me answers" but she had the love and support of her partner and together they could get through whatever challenges lay before them. Her daughter was born 3 years later, the pregnancy had been a worrying time for her but there had been no need. When her daughter was almost a year old, she was home one day when the police knocked at the door. She was arrested on the suspicion of theft. Taken to the local police station, interviewed charged and allowed home on bail. "I couldnt believe what was happening, it was like a bad dream that I was willing myself to wake up from. How could they possibly believe I had anything to do with drugs" Kirsty's partner was also arrested and admitted to stealing some 15,000 pounds over the years to aid his drug habit. "I had no idea, non at all, he kept it so hidden from me, I often look back and think how could I have been so stupid as not to have known I had spent all my life helping people sort out problems similiar to what was happening to me" With the help of her solicitor and many appearances in court it was established that Kirsty was innocent and all charges were dropped against her.
Determined never to let anything like that happen again, Kirsty promised her children that life would be better from that day on. She enrolled to take her degree, and started working with numerous voluntary organizations, helping people in crisis, "Somehow going through all I went through made me a stronger more determined person, I vowed that if I could help other people from suffering the way I did then that would mean everything to me"
Now in 2003 Kirsty lives at home as a single parent, all her children live at home with her, she has made several television and radio appearances, has worked as a guest columnist for a well known newspaper, and still works voluntary for organisations involved in Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Domestic Violence, Rape Crisis and Marital Problems, her latest work involves Trauma Councelling, and support for other families with disabled children. Her first book aptly titled Kirsty Can help is due on the bookshelves in March 2004
