(Picture: Sephora)Rejoice, Halloween lovers, the much-awaited day is almost within sight.

And of course, that means lots of ‘spooky’ merchandise and retailers peddling anything related to pumpkins, ghosts, and witches.

Beauty Brand Sephora is kicking off the season with its ‘witches starter kit’ which includes perfume, tarot cards, sage, and a rose quartz crystal.

But witches, who identify with the pagan religion of Wicca (or simply practice witchcraft), are not happy with the French company making a quick buck out of their beliefs.

‘Sephora is definitely guilty of culture appropriation,’ Indigo, who practices witchcraft, told Metro.co.uk.

‘I don’t think they’re doing it to spread awareness about the craft, they’re doing it just for profit in my opinion.

‘Although most witches do use what’s in the Sephora box, most of us feel that it’s wrong for just anyone to grab those things and be like “oh hey I’m a witch now” because it’s sacred to us.’

Other followers of the faith had similar views on Twitter.  ‘My religion is not a trendy overpriced aesthetic’, said one.

This sentiment was shared by Siera who identifies with Pagan Witchcraft.

She said: ‘Sephora selling “witch kits” actually makes me really upset.

‘Witchcraft isn’t something you just throw around, people put their entire being into this way of life and work so hard at it. I’ve been made fun of way too much for being a witch for it to just become another trend.’

Another user, Katie, felt the same:

‘Witchcraft is a sacred and personal religion, not something to turn pastel and profit off of (sic),’ she said.

‘If you want to exploit my religion like this, you better make Tumblr aesthetic “entry-level kits” for all of the major world religions.’

Another Witchcraft follower. who was ‘appalled’. urged people to support local spiritual shops rather than a large chain retailer like Sephora.

The discussion also contained many who said it is the current crop of witches were actually the ones guilty of cultural appropriation and others thought it as a lot of fuss about nothing.

But the backlash opened up other important discussions.

Many online said Sephora was benefiting off parts of Wicca is akin to brands culturally appropriating other existing religions and cultures.

Witches were criticised for not speaking up for other instances of appropriation whereby individuals or companies benefit from a minority group, usually without consent.

Some also mentioned the use of white sage which is significant to Native Americans who use it for medicinal purposes and cleansing ceremonies.

They were concerned that Sephora’s use of the sacred herb could make it difficult for indigenous Americans’ to perform their rituals (as a result of fewer sources).

We’ve contacted Sephora for a comment and will update the article if they reply.

What are your thoughts?

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If you’re a beauty fanatic and your skin, makeup or hair-care routine is in need of a revamp, a beauty tool is just what you need.

From the low-key to the high-tech, at-home beauty tools when used correctly and consistently can up your beauty game in minutes.

They’re extremely useful, sometimes a little wacky and offer professional results.

However, not all tools are created equal.

So to help a fellow fanatic out, we’ve rounded-up eight of the best beauty tools currently available, that are definitely worth the hype and worthy of a place in your beauty arsenal.

Remington AIR3D Hair Dryer, £149.99 (save 25% was £199.99)

If you fancy getting yourself a Dyson Supersonic, but quiver at its hefty price tag, Remington have released a stylish hair dryer for half the price.

It’s jazzy and innovative design helps dry hair fast and leaves your locks smooth and frizz-free.

Lightweight and compact you won’t have to rely on those weak hotel hair dryers during your next holiday.

Remington AIR3D Hair Dryer, £149.99 (save 25% was £199.99), argos.co.uk

ZOEVA En Taupe Brush Set, £40

If you’re fed up of cheap moulting makeup brushes, ZOEVA produce professional worthy brushes that cover all the bases.

The new En Taupe Brush Set contains six eye brushes that wouldn’t just look pretty perched in a ceramic pot on your dresser, they’ll also do all the hard work for you.

Blending and buffing will never have been so easy.

ZOEVA En Taupe Brush Set, £40, cultbeauty.co.uk

Braun Silk Epil 9 Epilator, £98.99 (save 40% was £164.99)

Shaving is a chore. Waxing is painful. And laser hair removal is pricey.

This is where Braun’s Silk Epil 9 Epilator comes in. The hair removal device rolls up and down your skin and efficiently plucks away every single hair that lasts for up to four weeks.

We’d be lying if we said it It isn’t exactly painless. But after a few uses you’ll be able to use the device without wincing, trust us.

The hand-held gadget is rechargeable, can be used wet or dry and be used to clean up your bikini line and underarms.

Braun Silk Epil 9 Epilator, £98.99 (save 40% was £164.99), amazon.co.uk

Scholl Velvet Smooth Diamond Pedi Electronic Foot File, £21.99

For an at-home pedicure you need the Scholl Velvet Smooth Diamond Pedi Electronic Foot File.

The battery operated device can be used wet or dry and sloughs away the hard skin on the soles of your feet in a matter of minutes.

Just don’t forget to follow-up with a rich lotion for perfectly pedicured feet.

Scholl Velvet Smooth Diamond Pedi Electronic Foot File, £21.99, argos.co.uk

Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer, £13

No beauty arsenal is complete without a decent pair of tweezers.

Tweezerman tweezers are award-winning and for good reason.

They’re perfectly aligned, angled and sharp which makes shaping your brows and plucking away fine little hairs a doddle.

Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezer, £13, lookfantastic.com

FOREO LUNA™ Play, £29

There are plenty of traditional cleansing tools with bristled brush heads in the market. And although they’re hailed within the beauty community, they can be clunky, expensive and are a great place for bacteria buildup if they’re not cleaned thoroughly.

Enter FOREO who have created non-porous silicon cleansing devices that cost as little as £29.

Their Play device is the smallest and cheapest in their range (the same size as a cotton pad) and has one cleansing mode that delivers a gentle, yet impressively powerful cleanse.

But note: it only last for approximately 100 one minute cleansing sessions. But you can always upgrade to one of their rechargeable tools if you’re impressed with its prowess.

FOREO LUNA™ Play, £29, lookfantastic.com

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges, £17.99

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges can be used wet or dry to help apply liquid and cream makeup products.

These orange applicators are a real steal compared to the original Beauty Blender which cost £17 each.

Reusable and easily washable with a little baby shampoo, or fragrance free soap, these sponges aren’t to be sniffed at as they provide a professional finish with little fuss.

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponges, £17.99, lookfantastic.com

ghd Original Styler (IV Styler), £99

You’ll be would be hard-pressed to find a pair of hair straighteners that work as hard and as well as GHD’s Original Styler.

It’s one of the UK’s top rated stylers and highly regarded by beauty professionals.

The Original Styler effectively smooths and straightens and the contoured edges also helps create loose curls.

ghd Original Styler (IV Styler), £99, lookfantastic.com

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Jamaican bar and eatery Buster Mantis has ditched the jerk chicken, one of the old staples of its menu.

On Monday, the south east London restaurant announced that they would be going vegan and yesterday, Buster Mantis opened its doors with a brand new plant-based take on Jamaican cuisine.

According to a post on the family run business’ Facebook page, Buster Mantis has changed its kitchen ‘drastically’ for the first time in nearly three years of being open.

Based on the success of two pop-ups hosted by Denai Moore, a chef who creates modern, vegan alternatives to beloved Jamaican dishes, Buster Mantis has decided to go fully vegan.

It is for three months and it is unknown what will happen after that time.

The restaurant says that they’ve had a couple of customers walk out already because they couldn’t order the popular Buster Mantis jerk chicken, but the Jamaican eatery stands by its decision to go meat-free, responding to patrons who don’t like the new menu with the woman shrugging emoji.

Comments on their Facebook post seem enthusiastic, with one user remarking that the restaurant had gained her as a vegetarian customer.

‘Blimey, what a brilliant step to take. I’m veggie and will definitely come by to try your food. Loose [sic] one customer, gain a new one.’

The owners of Buster Mantis have lived between Jamaica and Deptford in south east London for the last 60 years. It’s located just off Deptford High Street in the London borough of Lewisham, and tucked under two railway arches.

One arch is the bar and restaurant, while the other functions as a gallery and creative space where you can go to events and exhibitions.

The name ‘Buster Mantis’ comes from the first prime minister of Jamaica, Sir Alexander Bustamante, who campaigned to achieve the independence of Jamaica from Britain in 1962.

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Partners hurt you.

Boyfriends go out with their friends and get drunk on your anniversary.

Girlfriends get you Argos vouchers for Christmas.

Relationships stink.

You know who will never treat you badly though? Who will be there to cuddle you whenever you need, day or night?

That’s right, it’s this sexy radish.

Note its subtle curves, coo over its coyly crossed legs (well, roots if we’re going to be pedantic).

Draw your fingers through its straggly leaf top.

The sexy radish pillow was created after the internet noticed that daikon radishes take on an all-too-human allure when their roots cross just so.

And now the Japanese brand Fellisimo- who have also rather brilliantly created a wearable sleeping bag which turns you into a giant prawn tempura– have made the internet’s warped dreams a reality.

It comes not only in a huggable teddy-bear size of 26 x 66cm, but in the life-partner-sized 36 x 115cm large version too.

Perfect for when you’re ready to get serious with your sexy vegetable of choice.

If you want to be a radish, you can, but you’d need to import one from Japan and they don’t come cheap with the big pillow costing around £55.

But you wouldn’t be the first to make a passionate declaration to a pillow, you’ll be reassured to find.

Several men in Japan and beyond have made the ultimate commitment to their own preferred kind of plush furnishing.

In 2009, Lee Jin-gyu, a Korean man obsessed with his “dakimakura”- a large pillow with a picture of his favourite anime character printed on it took the plunge and married her.

“They go out to the park or the funfair where it will go on all the rides with him.” commented one friend.

Good to know there’s a precedent if you want to bring your sexy radish to Thorpe Park with you.

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If playing football, going for long runs or hitting the gym is not your thing, then it is very important to complete plenty of moderate exercise every week.

The NHS offer guidelines on how much exercise people should be doing every seven days, and if you are not going to be doing much vigorous work then there is a lot of moderate activity to get done.

Luckily, moderate aerobic activity is pretty easy to achieve and you may even do it without noticing.

Here is what moderate exercise includes and how much you should be doing each week…

The NHS suggests that 19 to 64-year-olds should be doing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week.

This can be replaced by 75 minutes of vigorous exercise or a mix of the two.

150 minutes is two-and-a-half hours which may seem like a lot, but it is easily achieved with some of the following activities.

Examples of moderate exercise

• brisk walking
• water aerobics
• riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
• doubles tennis

• pushing a lawn mower
• hiking
• skateboarding
• rollerblading
• volleyball
• basketball

Examples courtesy of the NHS

The NHS also recommends that you should be coupling this moderate or vigorous exercise with strength exercises on two or more days of a week.

These can include lifting weights, doing press-ups, yoga and heavy gardening.

The vigorous exercise that is recommended is a wide range of activities, some you can do on your own, others you may have to get involved in a team or at least rope in a friend.

For other age ranges, the recommendations are different in terms of the amount of work done.

For 5 to 18-year-olds the NHS suggests at least 60 minutes of activity every day, which can be anything from moderate to vigorous and strength work on three days a week.

For the over 65s, the advice is actually the same as the 18 to 64-year-olds but obviously any other health conditions should be taken into account when choosing which activities to do.

Also, the elderly who may be at risk of falls should consider activities like yoga and tai chi to improve balance.

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An elderly man has gone viral after he stopped to get ice cream on the way to palliative care.

Yesterday, Queensland Ambulance Services shared a photo of Ron, enjoying an ice cream sundae.

His wife, Sharon, from Gold Coast, Australia, had called an ambulance for her husband’s final journey to the hospital and palliative care.

During initial observations of Ron, Sharon mentioned that he had barely eaten anything over the past two days.

Kate and Hanna, the two paramedics looking after Ron, asked if he could eat anything, what it would be – to which Ron replied: ‘A caramel sundae’.

In the photo, Ron looks very content as he eats his ice cream in the back of the ambulance.

The post went viral with more than 14,000 likes, with people calling the ice cream a ‘beautiful gesture’.

One person wrote: ‘Nothing but utter respect for our paramedics – they are amazing people’.

One nurse who’d triaged Ron at the hospital even wrote on the post. She said: ‘I remember triaging this lovely man. I was so moved to hear they took him for a sundae on the way in, it’s the small things you guys do that make you absolute legends! Keep up the great work.’

Sharon’s daughter Danielle also wrote on the post, thanking the ambulance team for everything they had done.

Sadly, she revealed that her dad had passed away.

She said: ‘Mum and I cannot thank QAS enough for all the help and compassion you have all given towards us each time we have had to call you, I remember a couple of months ago, the big tall Paramedic guy especially, we couldn’t get dad out of bed, and couldn’t get the gurney near their bed so you picked him up and carried him out the front onto bed.

‘Each and every Paramedic we have encountered over the last few months, THANK YOU FROM MUM AND I.

‘DAD sadly passed away Saturday morning.’

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It has always been said that dogs look like their owners – and now we have further evidence that it’s true.

Photographer Gerrard Gethings’ new series, commissioned by Laurence King Publishing, includes 50 portraits of owners pictured side by side with their canine friends and the results are uncanny.

From long-haired afghan hounds with their hipster owners to Chinese crested dogs with the same fluffy heads as their humans, it really is a case of spot the difference.

‘We’ve all seen these couples in the park,’ Gethings tells Metro.co.uk.

‘There’s an old man with an old grey dog. A bearded man with a schnauzer. Curly hair and a poodle.

‘It was something I’d been thinking about for a while but in order to make it happen I needed backing.

‘The idea was to shoot 50 convincing canine/human couples that would be beautiful, compelling but also kind of amusing.

Henry and Hope (Afghan Hound)

Gethings says that his interest in animals began at a young age.

‘I was forever coming home with young birds and hedgehogs. I had snakes in my bedroom and a plastic hamster crate full of crayfish in the yard.

‘I could tickle trout and name every British bird by the time I was at primary school.

‘I dreamed of having a kestrel but even in the easy-going 70s this was highly illegal.’

That dogs resemble their owners is not merely anecdotal. Several scientific studies have proved that you can predict, with fairly reliable accuracy, which dogs belong to which owners by looking at physical resemblance.

Sarah and Bruno (Bedlington Terrier)

Some psychologists believe that owners are unconsciously biased towards dogs that look like them because a familiar looking pup seems comforting, safe and like they are already part of the family.

Gerrard thinks that the reason our dogs look like us ‘boils down to vanity’.

‘I suspect that when we see beauty in a dog, we are perhaps pointing a finger at ourselves. It’s subconscious but there all the same.

‘I don’t think that I would ever be so shallow but having said that, my dog has light brown hair and a beard, just like me.’

And as the photos show, the similarities are seemingly endless:

Jessica and Buddy (Bichon Frise)

Charlotte and Caspar (Chinese Crested)

Francois and Antoine (French Bulldog)

Cenk and Horst (Schnauzer)

Siobhan and Rusty (Irish Setter)

Pete and Pixie (Cocker Spaniel)

Harry and Hattie (Spinone)

You can see more of Gerrard’s work here.

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When you think of Japan you think of futuristic technology, kawaii, anime, and not to mention wonderful food.

Japan – the world’s third-largest economy – is rarely thought of as a poor country, let alone one with slums.

But poverty plagues most countries in one way or another and, to show that, photographer David Tesinsky went to Airin-chiku, Osaka – formerly known as Kamagasaki – to show an alternative reality.

The elderly and the young are portrayed in these images of a Japanese landscape we are less accustomed to seeing.

‘People are not aware that this type of setting exists near the commercial centre of Osaka which is complete with designer shopping malls, high rise buildings, and advanced technology,’ said David.

The poverty is visibly etched on the faces of the poorest of the city’s nine million people, many of whom who live in squalor.

A man can be seen feeding the pigeons, music lovers playing and listening to a guitar and people sleeping in the streets, slumped in chairs or finding a resting place where they can.

David, 28, from Prague, Czech Republic was warned not to venture into these parts of Japan by local people but he chose not to listen – and he was rewarded by meeting the friendliest and most generous people he has encountered.

‘Most Japanese people don’t have a clue that a slum in Japan even exists,’ he said.

‘On the outside, it only looks like groups of old people drinking wine and sake and smoking cigarettes all day long.

‘I went there and I have never met more friendly people as them in my life.

‘When I had drunk half of one beer, it was quite common that one of the older men would come and throw it away and place a brand new beer in front of me.’

David, who says his experience in the slums was ‘thoroughly enjoyable’ joined in with daily life and found he was accepted without hesitation.

At one point, he was handed a guitar and, when he began playing and strumming out songs, the entire population of the slums joined in, singing along with him.

He spent a total of three days there, drinking beers with the inhabitants and chatting.

David said he had been told before he went that he would not be welcome to take photographs, but says that the people he spoke to didn’t mind.

Here are some of his images:

In a similar project, another photographer went to India to highlight poverty there.

But the images, taken by Italian photojournalist Alessia Mamo, were dubbed ‘poverty porn’ for exploiting poor children for the purpose of art.

The photos were shared by the World Press Photo agency who refused to take it down. Alessia has since deleted his Instagram.

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When Jehv Maravilla and Christian Toledo noticed that their local McDonald’s had a blank wall, what choice did they have but to fill it?

A large format photograph of them was printed of them enjoying some McDonald’s products and put it on the wall where it remained untroubled for 51 days

The surprisingly successful prank has delighted thousands of people.

Some even begged McDonald’s to let the picture stay up indefinitely.

When queried about how he managed to put up the picture without arousing suspicion, Maravilla revealed that he’d set himself up as a fictional regional interior coordinator.

Despite the laughs, the prank had a serious intent behind it.

The boys, both Filipino-American, said they were addressing the lack of Asian representation in the restaurant’s advertising.

‘Asian representation in media is not as prevalent as it should be,’ Maravilla said.

‘What motivated me was Crazy Rich Asians, the movie that came out, that boosted my confidence into thinking maybe one day I could be just like that, and if I take a step and do something small like this, it could make a difference.

The two boys have been given the ok by McDonald’s:

‘We take pride in highlighting diversity in every aspect of our restaurants,’ the company said.

‘We applaud these students’ creativity and hope to see them in our restaurants again soon.’

It’s not the first time someone has intervened with advertising to send a political message.

Last year in London a group of activists replaced Tube ads with their own signs protesting against deportations and detention of asylum seekers.

They also made convincing reproductions of the TFL house style in posters covertly protesting what they described as social cleansing and gentrification of Elephant and Castle

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The conversation around mental health and emotional wellbeing has more than made it to the mainstream – though with the majority of it happening on social media and in the media, that conversation still usually centres around adults.

Yet one in 10 children – that’s an average of three in every classroom – has a diagnosable mental health condition and, according to independent research commissioned by Nestlé in collaboration with DMG*, over half of parents say they have noticed their child struggle with mental or emotional wellbeing.

The Nestlé study of more than 800 parents found that sleeping issues, anxiety and depression were the most common issues affecting emotional and mental wellbeing, with self-esteem issues, bereavement and weight issues and eating disorders the next most common.

Risk factors that can trigger mental health and wellbeing issues include poor health, a parent with mental illness, alcohol issues or who spends time in jail, parents who separate or divorce, a death of someone close, acting as carer to a parent and special educational needs – though this list is of course by no means exhaustive.

It means there are many pivotal moments during a child’s developmental stage where something that happens to them in life or situational difficulties can, if not properly addressed and handled, can manifest in poor mental health.

The fact is, 75% of mental health problems in adults begin in childhood – yet 70% of children and young people who experience a mental health problem have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age.

It makes it all the more important to teach children about mental wellbeing, to recognise and address issues early and help every child to have the best chance at having good mental health and emotional wellbeing, both in childhood and then into adulthood.

So, how can we help children and young people with their mental wellbeing?

Teach happiness

The government’s mental wellbeing expert Andy Cope, who is working as a so-called happiness inspector to introduce a sort of ‘mental health Ofsted’ into schools, where mental wellbeing is taught alongside conventional subjects, says it’s about preparing children early by initiating dialogue around mental wellbeing and giving them the tools to cope with the things life throws at them.

Mental wealth

Invest in children’s minds beyond conventional lessons. Teach them how to communicate around subjects of mental wellbeing. Help them to find words that allow them to express how they are feeling and help them to do so, rather than suppress. ‘We introduce children to a range of positive psychology topics such as wellbeing, resilience, personal responsibility, growth mindsets, kindness, mindfulness and gratitude,’ says Andy.

Positive psychology

Andy teaches positive psychology in schools, based around the principle that we become what we think about. He helps children to break negative thought patterns and control/influence cycles, challenge self-limiting beliefs and helps them find ways to overcome anxiety and develop resilience.

Be aware and work at it

When children are faced with stresses of everyday life – potential triggers – those who care for children – from family members to teachers and sports coaches – need to come together to work harder at recognising and helping them through tough times. Because, as Andy says, ‘being happy takes effort and perseverance.’

Get moving

Conventional wisdom around mental health suggests that exercise can help with mild depression and anxiety and can even be as effective as medication in treating mild cases. There are lots of studies that place varying degrees of importance and efficacy on exercise, but most agree that spending time exercising has a multitude of benefits.

The Anxiety And Depression Association of America (ADAA) say that 5 minutes of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects and, if done regularly, has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilise mood, improve sleep and improve self-esteem.

And, as the NHS says: ‘Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression. It is especially useful for people with mild to moderate depression.’ However, it acknowledges that being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active – which makes it all the more important to help children to be active in ways that they enjoy.

Psychologists suggest that a 10-minute walk may be as good as a 45-minute workout, so whether it’s moderate exercise – walking, biking gently, rollerskating – or vigorous – running, cycling on hills, tennis or football – just getting out into the fresh air and moving will have beneficial effects.

Go down to the woods today

Being immersed in nature can have wonderful effects on brain function and mental health.

Simply being in a woodland setting has quantifiable effects on cognitive function and creativity.

Spending just 15 minutes walking in a forested area has cardiovascular health benefits too and has been shown to relax heart rate to the same level as meditation or yoga.

*Source: Nestlé & DMG Parents Lifestyle Study January 2018

• FACTORS THAT HELP CHILDREN HAVE GOOD MENTAL HEALTH H

  According to mentalhealth.org, the factors that can help children with their mental health include:

  • getting sufficient sleep, a balanced diet and regular exercise

  • having time and the freedom to play, indoors and outdoors

  • being part of a family that gets along well most of the time – and having the right tools to deal with conflict healthily
  • going to a school that looks after the wellbeing of all its pupils
  • taking part in local activities for young people

  • Other factors that contribute to good mental health include:

    • • • feeling loved, trusted, understood, valued and safe
        • Being interested in life and having opportunities to enjoy themselves
        • being hopeful and optimistic
        • being able to learn and having opportunities to succeed
        • accepting who they are and recognising what they are good at
        • having a sense of belonging in their family, school and community
        • feeling they have some control over their own life
        • having the strength to cope when something is wrong (resilience)

     

On her wedding day, Nicola Jowett, 28, received a watch from her sick husband who was in stage four brain cancer.

Shortly after they got married, Morgan passed away.

In the two years since his death, Nicola, from Cambridgeshire, has worn the Tag Heuer accessory that her watch-loving husband gave her every day.

When the batteries stopped working, she sent it to a Glasgow jeweller for repair. But unfortunately, it was lost or stolen.

Nicola has offered £1,000 for someone, anyone, to return the sentimental gift.

‘No other watch will do,’ she said.

‘At first, the jeweller told me it was lost, and then they said it was stolen and offered to get me another watch.

‘When they offered that I think they just failed to understand how much this watch actually meant to me.

‘They can get me 10,000 watches, it won’t make a difference.

‘It’s either been stolen by the courier or their staff but I don’t care, I just want it back. The watch is so precious to me.’

On their wedding day, Morgan’s watch gift was a surprise because Nicola didn’t have a good one.

That particular Tag Heuer model has now been discontinued but originally sold for around £2,000.

Nicola has put up a £1,000 reward in a bid to get it back and hopes Glaswegians will help in her search.

The jeweller apologised to Nicola, whose watch is among a parcel of items which have vanished and the regional sales director is travelling to Glasgow to handle the search personally.

‘We tried to make our wedding a really positive day and we hoped we could beat the cancer,’ said Nicola.

‘He loved watches, they were his thing. I’m just hoping and praying I can get it back.

‘I just feel like I’m doing all the work to try and find it again..’

If you’ve seen this watch, please get in touch (hey@metro.co.uk) and we’ll pass on your messages.

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A retiree whose body is covered in tumours – often wrongly confused for a contagious disease – refuses to hide her skin.

Gail Applegren, s 57-year-old from Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, has battled with neurofibromatosis (NF) her whole life after being diagnosed at 14 but believes the genetic disorder makes her special and unique.

She had one large tumour on her chest – her most problematic ‘bump’ that would hang down and grew under her armpit – and ‘café au lait’ spots until the age of 12, when the several ‘bumps’ on her body began to multiply.

Despite numerous surgeries to remove the large mass, once nine inches across and hanging 12 inches down, it continues to grow back and Gail said the operations can be life-threatening.

‘They almost lost me because I lost so much blood, but I was determined and lived on,’ she said.

‘It was so big that they couldn’t get to the root of it, so had to go in for a second time.

‘They removed more of the tissue from my chest and some of my ribs, then rebuilt it.’

Gail says that growing up in her skin was hard.

Bullies would make nasty comments and, even as an adult, she claims people have actually asked her not to swim in public pools, touch fruit and have even feared sitting next to her on aeroplanes.

But the former social worker believes she shouldn’t have to cover her skin and now proudly shows off her ‘bumps’ to educate others about NF.

‘I cannot even guess how many bumps I have, they are in the thousands and thousands,’ Gail said.

‘My entire torso has wall-to-wall bumps. There are so many they are growing on or out of each other.

‘When I look at my one hand, I count 180 from the wrist up but the other has double that number.

‘The biggest is on my stomach and others range from one twice my fist size to smaller than that.

‘I don’t cover up, I wear sleeveless shirts and tops. I’m a regular person, I laugh and cry, like you or anybody else.

When I look in the mirror, I don’t see neurofibromatosis, I see Gail looking back at me.

‘I see my smile and my bright eyes, that’s the way I’ve always been.’

Gail said stigma surrounding the disorder often leads her and husband Tim Golumbia, 55, a fellow NF warrior, into difficult situations.

She said: ‘We were on a flight to our vacation destination when the flight attendant came and told me that someone was on the airplane and thought I was contagious.

‘They added that my husband must have caught it from me as he did not have as many bumps.

‘We were already in the air and the flight attendant said she didn’t know how to deal with this issue.

‘So, I gave her a piece of paper with the spelling of condition and recommended she Google and research the condition. I assured her I was not contagious.

‘When we were leaving the country, on our way home we were detained at the airport, but no explanation was provided.

‘Once, when Tim came with me to a medical appointment, a man moved and said, ‘You are contagious,’ as Tim had some bumps but not as many as I had.

‘He laughed and said you are like that commercial on TV where that guy is covered with Skittles candies on his face, also thinking we were contagious.

‘A doctor I saw earlier this year, not my regular doctor, told me to just get a skin transplant.’

While Gail says there have been many disappointing moments for her due to others being unaware about her condition, she relishes people asking questions.

‘I love people asking about it,’ she said.

‘I want to tell them. Seeing me, it’s very obvious that I don’t look like a lot of other people.

‘I tell them that I have a condition that makes me look different.

‘It’s something I’ve dealt with all my life but I would like to say I’m not contagious.

‘When a little boy asked me about my condition, I explained that it makes me special and unique.

‘He said, ‘Isn’t there anything they can do for you?’ I shook my head and he replied, ‘You are fine the way you are.’

Gail is happy in her own skin and celebrating her fourth wedding anniversary.

They both support the Alberta Tumour Foundation, which aims to support others with NF, through fundraising, research and gatherings.

Despite the couple having to contend with regular pain from the disorder, they try not to let it impact their lives.

Gail said: ‘I think I’m unique and special because I have a condition a lot of people don’t understand, even some doctors don’t know about it.

‘I live every day to the fullest, as I get older the more complications I have with NF but I’m a happy and active person.’

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This week saw further confirmation that our approach to preventing HIV is working, with 2017 seeing a 17% decline in diagnoses from 2016 and a 28% drop compared to 2015.

Such progress would have been unthinkable even up until few years ago when rates of HIV continued to climb among gay and bisexual men – it wasn’t until the last two years that we have seen a fall.

The announcement of a second annual consecutive fall in HIV diagnoses can be attributed increased efforts to step up testing, uptake of anti-HIV drug, Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and the ground-breaking acknowledgement that people living with HIV and on effective treatment cannot pass on the virus.

For gay and bisexual men, who continue to be disproportionately impacted by the virus, there has been a 31% drop in new diagnoses since 2015. Other populations, including black African men and women have also seen sustained decline in diagnoses.

Whilst this news has been warmly received – and rightly so – this is not the time to be congratulating ourselves but instead a time to step up our commitment to ending HIV transmissions.

It’s estimated that around 1 in 8 people living with HIV are unaware of their status and are therefore not only putting their own health at risk, they could be unknowingly passing on the virus to others.

This week’s statistics also showed that 42% of people with HIV were diagnosed late, with people aged 50 and black African communities at greatest risk of late diagnosis.

The fact we have a pill that can prevent a life-long condition and it is still not routinely available on the NHS is nothing short of a scandal.

There’s no doubt that access to PrEP has made a big contribution to reducing infections, but in England there remains a cap of 10,000 on the number of people who can access this game-changing drug.

The fact we have a pill that can prevent a life-long condition and it is still not routinely available on the NHS, is nothing short of a scandal – this data speaks for itself; we urgently need to give PrEP on the NHS so no one is refused access.

Testing also plays a fundamental role in halting HIV.

The virus can now be tested for in a matter of minutes and self-testing kits now mean people can test within their own home.

But testing at home isn’t for everyone and therefore it’s vital that we have fully funded and accessible sexual health services when people need them.

Only last week the Local Government Association described sexual health services as being at ‘tipping point’ due to increased demand not being matched with proper funding from the UK Government. This cannot continue and we risk undoing the progress in reducing new infections.

Work also remains to ensure that future generations fully understand the realities of HIV and how to minimise their risk of becoming infected with the virus.

From 2020, sex education lessons will be compulsory in both England and Wales.

On average, more than one young person aged 15-24 is infected with HIV every day.

This coupled with the fact that young people continue to account for the highest proportion of new STI diagnoses, mean there’s a pressing need to make sure schools provide information about where to access sexual health services and crucially to normalise discussions about sexual health.

The awkwardness of talking about sex should be addressed at school so young people have the confidence and are empowered to have fulfilling and healthy relationships in later life.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the first ever World AIDS Day, which was held in the backdrop of an epidemic that even the greatest scientific minds struggled to find a means of halting.

Three decades on, we are finally starting to beat this virus. As we have seen from activists throughout those years and those who we have lost to the epidemic, complacency will get us nowhere.

It’s time to aim big and demand an end to HIV, once and for all.

We have the tools to do this. Let’s get on with it.

Terrence Higgins Trust are the UK’s leading HIV and sexual health charity. You can find out more information about they work they do here. 

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They say when you know, you know. But deciding when to finally say ‘I love you’ to a partner for the first time is a personal matter.

After all, every relationship is different and there is no one right time.

In this era of fast love and disposable dating though, it is apparently taking us longer than ever to declare our feelings.

Brits now take an average of 137 days in a new relationship to say ‘I love you’ – 25 days longer than they did in 2014, when it took on average 112 days, research from eHarmony found.

People living in London take even longer, waiting on average 194 days (around six months) to say those three little words.

In Wales, the average was 163 days, while those in the east of England clearly wear their hearts on their sleeve –  they say ‘I love you’ within 106 days, or around three and a half months.

So why is it that we take are taking so long to drop the ‘L-bomb’?

What’s stopping us and when is the right time to tell your lover you think they’re the one?

Researchers at eHarmony put our delay to share the love down to a growing use of dating apps and more sexual fluidity (this, they say has meant people are less likely to be judged for their sexual behaviour and so feel more freedom to date lots of different people).

Psychologist Emma Kenny adds that our reluctance to commit our feelings to words could be down to the paradox of choice – the more options there are, the harder it is to make a decision.

‘While having a greater range of options and ways to find a partner can be a positive thing, it also means today’s dating scene is increasingly competitive,’ she said.

‘This can mean people are afraid to take the risk and say “I love you” for fear that doing so too early and coming on too strong may backfire and push a partner away, rather than cementing the relationship.’

For Londoners, she adds, the delay could come down to work life and priorities.

‘Londoners taking longest to confess their love comes as no shock. In the city, life is so fast-paced – with professional and social lives as busy as ever,’ she says.

‘It takes time to express your feelings to someone and Londoners often have other priorities. As such, even when they do eventually find the right person, it might just take that little bit longer.’

London journalist Joe tells Metro.co.uk that perhaps our hesitance to say ‘I love you’ is simply because we are moving away from traditional methods of showing love.

‘I hear the real romantic thing now is not saying I love you but deleting your Tinder account,’ he says, adding that he thinks the rise of smartphone communication is likely to blame for our reticence.

So how long did it take Joe to say those three words?

‘It took me about eight months,’ he says. ‘I was only 19 when I met my fiancé and neither of us were looking for anything serious so we took our time. We definitely loved each other quite a while before we said it though.’

Student Lorna is on the opposite end of the scale – she and her now-husband uttered the words after a mere two weeks.

‘We said it after two weeks but we’ve both said we felt it before, we just didn’t want to scare the other!’ she tells metro.co.uk. ‘We had a fast-paced relationship. We moved in after a month and were engaged after three.’

Samantha, who works in sexual health, says the timing comes down to a number of reasons.

‘I can’t remember how it took for me and my partner to say I love you, maybe a few months, but we say it every day and have done so for the last 28 years!’ she tells Metro.co.uk.

‘Everyone is unique. It may depend on your personality, your upbringing, your relationship. Some people just struggle with intimacy and saying ‘I love you’, others say it to everyone they have ever had a relationship with. There is no right or wrong answer.

‘Just because someone doesn’t say ‘I love you’, it doesn’t mean they don’t love you.’

Contrary to eHarmony’s research though, a YouGov poll of 3,947 people from 2017 year found that the majority of people (22%) agreed the time to say ‘I love you’ should be after three months.

So, while it’s not wise to throw the love grenade into your relationship if it doesn’t stand on a solid foundation, if you’re three months in and you think you’re both getting the feels, maybe now’s the time to say it.

Or if you’re not ready for that level of commitment, at least delete your Tinder.

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Gwyneth Paltrow and her lifestyle brand Goop have settled a $145,000 (£110,000) lawsuit which accused them of false advertising ‘not supported by competent and reliable science’ relating to jade vaginal eggs and other products.

Santa Clara county district attorney Jeff Rosen said the company claimed the eggs, once inserted into the vagina, ‘could balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, prevent uterine prolapse, and increase bladder control.

They added that: ‘Goop advertised that the Inner Judge Flower Essence Blend, a blend of essential oils meant to be taken orally or added to bathwater, could help prevent depression.’

Goop said it worked with the task force on the claims for an amicable resolution.

Even now the lawsuit has concluded, the jade vagina eggs are still on sale on Goop.  Descriptions of the products – dubbed ‘better sex jade eggs for your yoni’ say they ‘cultivate sexual energy, clear chi pathways in the body, intensify femininity and invigorate our life force’.

They remain on sale on the site for $66 (£50).

While the product itself has not been criticised as faulty or dangerous in any way, the way it is advertised will change as a result of the ruling and anyone who purchased one between 12 January and 31 August 2017 will be eligible for a refund.

‘The health and money of Santa Clara County residents should never be put at risk by misleading advertising,’ said Rosen.

‘We will vigilantly protect consumers against companies that promise health benefits without the support of good science… or any science.’

Goop has been the focus of much mockery since launching 10 years ago, not least for the time they promoted a $15,000 dildo or once jarringly referred to yacht rental as “surprisingly affordable”.

Gwyneth also drew critique after saying she was willingly stung by bees in the quest for beauty and/or self enlightenment.

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You’ve got secondary breast cancer. It’s terminal.

Words I’ll never forget and can’t run away from.

The moment I was told I had a terminal illness was the moment something snapped in me and I became a different person. Something inside me clicked and I became stronger, more gutsy, almost invincible.

I did what I had to do – I had no choice.

Don’t get me wrong, I was scared – so scared. Terminal means you’re going to die, right? I assumed it would happen almost immediately – not knowing how long my proverbial piece of string was. And all I could think about were my children – they needed me. I couldn’t die.

I’d been poorly for a few months before being rushed into hospital by ambulance one Friday morning – 2 May, 2014 to be exact.

At first I was told I had breast cancer – that’s fine I thought, people survive. But, five days later, just when I thought I’d got my head around that news, I was told that I actually had secondary breast cancer and that the tumour had broken away and metastasised in my bones.

My whole skeleton was affected by cancer.

Now we were playing a whole different ball game and the odds were stacked against me. I was terminally ill.

Being given that sort of diagnosis isn’t something you can just forget about. It’s always there, in the back of your mind and at first, it was imprinted on my eyelids every time I closed my eyes.

Mostly, I can shut it away in its box but sometimes, it rears its ugly head and the enormity of what I’m living with hits me. It’s all very well living in my oblivious bubble but the reality is ever present.

Not only did I change as a person but my life changed quite a lot, too. My attitude changed. I wasn’t prepared to just settle anymore – I wanted to ‘live’ my life.

I no longer worried about the little things. I had to learn to listen to my body more, factor in rest days and, drawing on spoon theory, remember not to use up all my energy too quickly – it took me a long time to adjust.

The diagnosis changed how I felt about my children, too. I needed to give them experiences, make memories with them and at first, I crammed so much in with them.

I didn’t know how long I had so time was of the essence. We did so much in that first year.

Some people close to me struggled with the diagnosis whilst others rallied around. I can’t imagine what receiving that news must be like as a loved one looking in. It’s devastating.

As time has gone on and I’ve had stable scan results, the word terminal is mentioned less and less. It’s ever present, much like a dirty secret I have to carry with me.

From the outside, I look ‘normal’, I live a ‘normal’ life and that’s how I like it. I’ve always lived obliviously. But occasionally, when I’m explaining my illness to people, it pops up again and people are genuinely shocked when they find out what I’m living with.

Do I think the word terminal has defined me? At first, yes.

I was a cancer patient with a terminal diagnosis – I was going to die. I looked like a cancer patient. I lived my life in chapters – a routine of weekly hospital appointments for chemo, daily radiotherapy, scans every three months, scanxiety and hope for good results.

As time has gone on, my chapters have increased slightly. My treatment happens every three months and scans happen every six.

Now, that word doesn’t define me at all. I don’t class myself as terminally ill at the moment. I’m certainly living with a chronic illness but there’s a huge difference.

Chronic illness can be managed. Terminal illness is when all medical options have been exhausted and there’s nothing left to try.

Being terminally ill is like living on a knife edge. It can flip at any time and there’s not always any warning, but for me, it’s important not to live in its shadow. Life is for living.

Emma is a supporter of Breast Cancer Now, the UK’s largest breast cancer research charity. Find out more about them here. 

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The evening of Friday 6 March, 2009, will stay with our family forever.

Although the day started out like any other – we took our daughter Eleanor to school in the morning, hugged her goodbye, went to work and even had plans to travel with friends for the weekend – the day would not end like every other.

Eleanor, just 14 years old, was a bright and talented young girl. In her grammar school at Southend she was known best for her hockey skills and her constant smile. She was the type of person who thought of others, always ready with a kind word and had a strong sense of responsibility, having been head girl at her primary school.

When we decided to go away to Windsor that weekend, she was staying at her grandparents’ and was looking forward to celebrating a friend’s birthday later on at a local restaurant. But that evening, we found ourselves on the other end of a call that no parent ever wants to receive.

A family friend had called to say that Eleanor had been in an accident and was at Southend Hospital. When we called the hospital to find out what was going on, they wouldn’t say much over the phone, but simply told us to get there as soon as possible.

We dropped everything and raced home to Southend, gripped with worry but trying desperately not to give in to our biggest fears. Shortly after we arrived at the hospital, we found out that Eleanor had been hit by a car that had lost control and mounted the pavement. We were devastated.

From Southend, Eleanor was transferred to the intensive care unit at Great Ormond Street Hospital, where she was treated for serious head injuries and where we stayed until Tuesday evening.

That day, just four days after a day that started like any other, Eleanor’s life support was turned off. John, myself and Eleanor’s older brother Richard – who was 17 at the time – stood there in a state of shock.

So many questions raced through my mind. How could this happen? How did we get here?  Where do we go from here? What happened next is the only thing that we never questioned.

It was by chance that shortly before this tragedy we’d had a conversation as a family about organ donation after watching an episode of Casualty.

That day Eleanor told us her wishes and we discovered that she had also told her grandmother on a separate occasion and, although we never imagined this day becoming a reality, we knew that the best way to honour our daughter would be to respect her choice. So, when we were approached by a specialist nurse in organ donation to see if we would consider this life saving gift for another family, we said yes immediately.

Eleanor went on to save four lives when we consented to donating her kidneys and heart valves, including those of two young women and two toddlers. Unfortunately, other organs could not be harvested due to her injuries.

Organ donation is not the sort of thing that is often talked about, but it should be.

Right now there are 150 children and young people across the UK, all waiting to receive a life-saving transplant; 40 of them are at GOSH in need of heart, lung and kidney transplants.

While many of these children could receive an organ from an adult, the difficult reality is that for some, such as those in need of heart and lung transplants, a young donor is their only hope.

Unfortunately, consent rate for paediatric organ donation is still very low, which means that seriously ill children waiting for a transplant are reliant on another family willing to say yes.

Because of the shock involved for parents in such circumstances it is very hard for them to think clearly and make decisions, so it is vital that everyone knows their family’s wishes in case the unthinkable happens.

We know all too well why this is such an emotive topic for parents. No parent should ever be faced with losing their child. Sadly, this is not the world we live in. Our decision to donate Eleanor’s organs spared another family the pain of losing their loved one and it brings us great comfort to know that.  

Because of Eleanor, those families can enjoy extra hugs, birthdays, holidays and special moments with their child. One of her kidney recipients has even gone on to have her own child, which brings us immense comfort.

Nine years later, I still wonder about those who received Eleanor’s organs. If I could speak to them, I would tell them about Eleanor – her hopes, dreams and ambitions – and wish them well for the futures they now have.

Eleanor would be proud to know that she helped save lives. At that most difficult moment in our lives, we wanted to be her voice. Together with GOSH and NHS Blood and Transplant, we commissioned a piece of art to share her experience and show how proud we are to be part of the organ donor community.

Our own hope is that anyone who comes across Eleanor’s story will be inspired to simply talk about organ donation with their loved ones and make their wishes known.

This year GOSH is supporting Organ Donation Week, and encouraging families to have a conversation about their choices. For more information please visit: organdonation.nhs.uk.

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The Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk collection that amassed a wait list of 25,000 makeup lovers is finally here.

The British makeup artist’s latest collection officially launches on September 6, with the expanded range coming after her cult favourite Pillow Talk lipstick and lip liner became instant sell-outs.

The rosy-beige shade of the lipstick and liner is universally flattering, making it loved by brides and bloggers, makeup artists and celebrities alike.

Alexa Chung, Gwyneth Paltrow, Olivia Culpo, Mariah Carey and Kitty Spencer are fans – and they are clearly not the only ones, since the lip pencil sells at a rate of one every six seconds globally. Yes, really.

It’s no surprise that thousands of Charlotte Tilbury devotees joined the wait list in anticipation for this latest launch since the new additions are just as pretty as the classics.

Included in the range is Charlotte Tilbury’s Luxury Palette in Pillow Talk (£39). The eyeshadow palette contains four romantic rose and taupe hues with matte and shimmer finishes.

Our favourite pan out of the four has to be the gorgeous rose gold sparkle. It will amp up any eyeshadow look when pressed on to the centre of the eyelids as a finishing touch.

Speaking of sparkle, the Cheek to Chick blusher in Pillow Talk (£30), has a subtle champagne shimmer running through both powders that leaves a luminous sheen on the skin.

To apply, Charlotte recommends ‘swishing’ your brush around the outer shade and applying along the cheekbone, followed by ‘swirling’ the brush into the glow shade and applying to the apples of the cheeks.

The Pillow Talk collection is available exclusively on Charlotte Tilbury’s official website now.

A mystery baker dubbed The Cake Fairy has been leaving baked goods in their building for neighbours.

The residents of Chapel Lane in Leith, Edinburgh, have been finding little treats with handwritten notes since January.

The anonymous baker has made valentines treats, fudge and even rainbow-coloured cakes to celebrate Pride.

Fionnlagh McFarlane, who lives in the building the anonymous chef is thought to live, was surprised by the treats one morning after he moved with his boyfriend.

Despite multiple attempts to find out who the baker is – he has not been able to identify them.

Fionnlagh, 25, has left flowers and a thank you note for the ‘cake fairy’ – who then responded in a letter explaining they love the thought of their neighbours eating cake for breakfast.

However, they left no clues to their identity, gender or location.

Residents in the block of the flats believe the mystery baker must live in the same building, due to the cakes being left in the middle of the night.

Recently, Fionnlagh wrote a Facebook post telling his friends about the cake fairy.

People have praised them for the ‘community spirit’ and the ‘amazing effort’ from the baker.

He wrote: ‘I moved to Leith in January with my boyfriend to a gorgeous wee flat in the old mill building just behind the shore.

‘Within the first few days – above the communal letter box areas and in the dead of night – a hand decorated box appeared filled to the brim with individually wrapped bags of caramel fudge and beautiful hand drawn labels with the instruction to help yourself.

‘Let me tell you – it was incredible (if not for the post Xmas diet).

‘Anyways, over the coming days and months – and always in the dead of night – the box is replenished with cup cakes, meringues and other goodies.

‘We started asking around but none of our neighbours knew who was leaving it there.

‘I decided to leave out a bunch of sunflowers to say thank you with a card to show how grateful we were for the thoughtful morning surprises.’

Fionnlagh explained that the flowers disappeared and were replaced with rainbow-coloured cakes and a letter.

‘The letter explained that the mystery cake baker just loved the joy of their neighbours eating cake for breakfast,’ he said.

‘Over the following days other people started to leave little cards and presents for out cake fairy and it continues to this day.

‘No thanks or praise required for this most generous and giving person. Ingredients are expensive and in this world today how often do we help others or do something so altruistic with no want for anything in return?

‘This little note is a thank you if you are reading this cake fairy.’

Fionnlagh also shared photographs of the cakes.

The ‘Jammy Bugger’- a cupcake with a Jammy Dodger on top – can be seen packaged in a small cardboard box.

Other treats dished out by the anonymous cook include fudge with the label ‘Oh for fudge sake’ and a ‘rocky rubble’.

Fionnlagh said that in order to get a cake you have to get there pretty fast because the baking is so good.

He said: ‘There is one cupcake ‘the jammy bugger’ with a jammy dodger on top that is my favourite.

‘At valentines we got love heart themed stuff, and at Easter and also gay pride.

‘It’s kind of set other things in motion as well.

‘There is a book exchange and people leave unwanted furniture and things there for a few days, before binning them in case anyone wants it.’

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A student has undergone a heart transplant after doctors allegedly dismissed her symptoms as exam stress.

22-year-old Charlotte Carney was suffering with severe fatigue and needed to take constant naps but she claims GPs suggested her symptoms were simply linked to stress.

But as her health continued to deteriorate, which left her sleeping for 20 hours per day, she began struggling to walk. And so she underwent further tests.

The tests showed that she had actually been suffering with a chronic heart condition and she was put on medication.

The medication failed to work and she was placed on the organ transplant list in February.

And just three weeks later Charlotte received the lifesaving call she desperately needed.

She spent six days in a coma but after four weeks in hospital she was finally released.

Charlotte is now thriving since returning home and is now able to complete her degree.

She is now sharing her story to help others realise the importance of being an organ donor.

Charlotte, from Northwich, Cheshire, said: ‘I was dismissed by doctors due to my age in 2013 and I was told my symptoms were due to exam stress.

‘But as the years passed my health continued to decline, I struggled to stay awake for longer than a few hours.

‘I thought I was just really lazy and loved sleep but after tests on my heart I was finally diagnosed.

‘I had an ECG test to check my heart’s rhythm through the charity CRY – Cardiac Risk In The Young and was referred to a cardiologist.

‘It was after these tests that I was told I had Restrictive Cardiomyopathy which meant my heart did not fill of blood properly.

‘No one had any idea that I had a heart condition but we knew it was serious as I was getting worse.

‘Medication didn’t help and just three months after my diagnosis I was placed on the waiting list for a new heart.

‘I knew my time was running out and if I didn’t have a new organ quickly I was risking being too unwell for the transplant.

‘I couldn’t believe it when three weeks later I got the call.

‘The nurse started asking about the weather at first and then she said, ‘I think you know why I’m calling.’

‘It was surreal and although I was nervous I knew I had no other choice if I wanted to survive.

‘I was so thankful when I woke up but I thought about the donor’s family straight away.’

Charlotte spent just four weeks in hospital before she was allowed home and noticed a difference in her appearance after the transplant straight away.

She said that for the first time in her life she had warm feet – they had always been cold before.

‘My family and friends said I looked really pink too as I’d always been so pale before the surgery,’ she added.

‘I don’t need several naps every day now and finally have my independence back.’

Charlotte has just started back at university for her final year, studying forensic psychology and criminal justice.

Given that she was given just 20% chance of surviving the next two years without having a transplant, she is now thriving.

She said: ‘I can’t thank the family of the heart donor enough and I do hope to one day meet them if they want to.’

‘My quality of life was so poor earlier this year that I don’t think I would have lasted another two years.

‘I would only be able to stay awake from 11am until 2pm and even walking a few steps would leave me breathless.

‘I think it’s so important for the law the change around organ donation so it’s an “opt out” system.

‘People need to talk to their families about this subject too so everyone knows what they want.

‘The amount of people on the waiting list is endless, I’m just very grateful I was one of the lucky ones who didn’t have to wait years for their call.’

Charlotte is now thanking the charity CRY for saving her life.

She added: ‘CRY offers subsidised ECG and Echocardiogram screening to all young people between the ages of 14 and 35.

‘It was this test that saved my life and led to doctors taking my symptoms seriously.’

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