Liam's Story - Looking after my brother
Liam and his little brother Samuel from Chippenham are about as close as brothers can get.
Now 19 years old, Liam has been caring for Samuel, who is 7 and has autism, pretty much since he was born. Along with playing football together, Liam keeps an eye on Samuel, helps get him to bed or settle him in the night, and is a real help to his family.
Last year, Liam himself was diagnosed with ADHD. He tells us how hard school was, not only caring for his brother but also having his own struggles,
"When I was growing up I used to get bullied all the time in school for being different, and I didn't really get much help because no one knew what was really going on."
Despite Liam having his own needs, Liam is ambitious and doesn’t let anything get in the way of what he wants to do in life. He has passed his moped license and loves riding, and is a great help to his Mum, who he can now run errands for on his moped.
Liam is at Swindon College and also attends the Young Adult Carers Café each month where he has made friends and continues to gain confidence. He enjoys mixing with other young adult carers his age, and is always providing the laughs for the rest of the group at events. Most recently, Liam was on our young adult carer cookery course and enjoyed flipping pancakes and making new dishes that he will try out cooking for his family.
Although life can very busy and sometimes stressful due to his caring role and his own additional needs, Liam shows that when Young Carers and Young Adult Carers are supported they can still go on to achieve their goals and have time for themselves doing the things they enjoy.
"If you're struggling, please do tell a teacher or your parents because I did didn’t tell anyone about my difficulties and it got worse it started to affect me in school and the rest of my life. Telling someone means they can help you sort things out."
If you need information, advice and support around caring and more, check out our resource page, or contact us here. You are not alone.