Dear Sisters/Comrades/Friends/Fellow Officers or All of the above,

Back in March I was lucky enough to be elected as the National Women's Officer, and like with most people who are elected with lots of manifesto pledges and loads of ideas of how the campaign should work, I was raring to go in my new role! A few months passed before I was to officially take over, which seems like ages but believe me, it's not, and as the 1st July handover date approached I was starting to feel unwell. As lots of people do I ignored it, hoping that it would just eventually go away. However, come the end of June I was feeling worse than ever and so bit the bullet and sought a referral to a hospital consultant whom I saw a few weeks later (I will refrain from saying that I didn't have to wait too long because we have a Labour Government!).

It was discovered that I was suffering from a hormone problem that was causing me to have both horrible physical and mental health symptoms, that forced me to take some time off and work most of the rest of the time from home. Needless to say the summer passed in a bit of a haze, and even though I was able to organise & attend our essential events, I missed out on the Officer Training Programme and then Freshers. This was particularly upsetting, as it's such a crucial time for everybody in NUS and it's when we get our ideas and campaigns out to the masses, as well as recruiting the activists that are going to be with us for the rest of the year & beyond.

But it's not all doom and gloom - I have managed to meet with women's officers, organisations, and have organised some exciting events that are going to take place between now and the spring. I'm even getting round to fulfilling my blog commitments! I suppose the reason I am writing this blog is that before now I did not feel well enough, or even confident enough to share this information.

But now I realise how important it is to give everyone the opportunity to understand why I have often been unable to attend events and participate in activities that have taken place over the last several months. I can assure you it is not for a want of trying, but my health has put me in a position where I have been unable to even consider doing these things. I would also like the opportunity to say that I have continued to work on women's issues and further our campaigns, just not on the scale that I would have liked.

The fact that as the National Women's Officer I haven't up to now been able to fulfil my role properly due to a medical problem I have because I'm biologically a woman is, I hope you would agree, more than a little ironic! But I hope the worse is now behind me, not guaranteed but fingers crossed. I can't wait to get back to what I believed I could achieve this time last year when I decided to stand for election - and that's to help change women's lives for the better. With the support and understanding I've gratefully received from Labour Student & NEC comrades, people within the women's unit and even some of the women's committee, I feel I can do this and more, reaffirming my place as the National Women's Officer who is representing women students and fighting for equality.

Until the next time! In Unity & Sisterhood, Katie C

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