Mali and Me - A Window Into My World

Mali and Me

Sharing life as a business owner, chronic illness advocate and stoma blogger

Sharing life as a business owner,
chronic illness advocate and stoma blogger

AS SEEN IN:

AS SEEN IN:

Welcome Readers,

MY NAME IS IMALI

I’m a proud Wife, Founder and Stoma owner, based in the South of the UK. This is my space on the internet to share snippets from my day-to-day life, along with things I’ve learnt along the way. My aim is to raise awareness for EDS, Ulcerative Colitis, Autism and Arthritis.

Welcome Readers,

MY NAME IS IMALI

I’m a proud Wife, Founder and Stoma owner, based in the South of the UK. This is my space on the internet to share snippets from my day-to-day life, along with things I’ve learnt along the way. My aim is to raise awareness for EDS, Ulcerative Colitis, Autism and Arthritis.

October 7, 2024
Q50R, Wheelchair

No colon, still rollin’ – My new wheels – Sunrise Medical Quickie Carbon Q50R

By Imali Chislett

Working With Chronic Illness: Navigating a World That Wasn’t Made For Us

By Imali Chislett

My Mucus Fistula Journey: Day-to-day life

By Imali Chislett

A new diagnosis – inflammatory enteropathic arthritis

By Imali Chislett

No colon, still rollin'

Meet my new wheels

After many months of paperwork, my new powered folding wheelchair has arrived and I’m taking it for a spin. Having had major abdominal surgery, I can’t tell you the difference that having a powered chair has made to my day-to-day life. I can now move around a lot more independently and even go on adventures without as much pain and fatigue.

When I share my autism diagnosis, I quite often ge

When I share my autism diagnosis, I quite often get a shocked response as I don't fit the perceived view of how people consider 'an autistic person should look'.How does my autism affect me? Heres some of the things I find difficult which are to do with my autism... This is just a snippet, there are a LOT more.- Realistic views
It's common for people with autism to be seen as negative or pessimistic when they highlight concerns they see, however, we're usually just sharing facts as we perceive them, without an emotional lilt. We feel helpful doing this, but it doesn't always come across this way.- Sounds
As an autistic person, I find certain noises and tones absolutely excruciating to listen to. I have to 'mask' in order to put up with being in the same space as them. Occasionally, I'll reach a point where I can't cope with the sound anymore and then I will have a 'meltdown', either internally or externally, where I cannot function for a period of time until I recover. People don't understand these meltdowns and see them as immature when it is just in fact my way of processing the world.- Autistic Inertia
This is described as the tendency to want to remain in a constant state, therefore having difficulty starting or stopping a task. Some signs are struggling to resume a task after stopping, feeling 'stuck', losing track of time spent, indecision and struggling to focus. This can feel particularly draining when you're a creative person because you tend to be all into a project, or nothing.There are positives that come with being autistic too, like having a distinctive imagination (something that I haven't outgrown as I've gotten older), being good at critical thinking and having in-depth knowledge of certain special interests. Many of these things actually help me, especially in my work.Autism varies, no two people experience it in exactly the same way. Autism doesn't have a 'look'.

Introducing my new wheels - my first folding power

Introducing my new wheels - my first folding powerchair!Model: @sunrisemedical carbon Q50RSince having my stoma surgery, I have found using a manual wheelchair much more difficult. Paired with the dreadful arthritis flare I've had over the summer, I was barely leaving the house. Now, thanks to the power that this chair brings to the game, I'm much more able to be independent and get about so much quicker.For the first time in a long time, I've been able to enjoy being out!I've posted a full review on my blog - check it out: www.maliandme.co.uk (link in bio).

There’s still time to visit the Southampton Snow

There’s still time to visit the Southampton Snow’s SEAT CUPRA Privilege event!See what we got up to yesterday in our visit.*not a paid partnershipID: Various clips of us in and around the dealership in Southampton, looking at the new cars. I am a wheelchair user with pink hair.

What can I say? I'm a pumpkin girl!Anyone who kn

What can I say? I'm a pumpkin girl!Anyone who knows me will tell you that pumpkins have main character energy in my life all year round. Come 1st August, I'm ready for PSL season and I won't stop talking about it until December.My passion for @starbucksuk became so strong that last year I was even featured in Metro’s pumpkin spice article celebrating 20 years of the drink (link in my bio if you fancy a read).For those who don't know, Starbucks are currently on the lookout for the GOAP—the Greatest of All Pumpkins—and I think I'm a pretty strong contender. Scroll to see a grainy photo of me at age 7, already in my pumpkin element!#PumpkinSpiceYourWay @starbucksuk

It’s World Stoma Awareness Week and what better

It’s World Stoma Awareness Week and what better time to get the conversation going around this life-saving medical appliance?!In certain situations like mine, having an ileostomy was the only way for me to keep a functional GI tract; without it, I wouldn’t have been able to survive.Although living with it is an adjustment, I’m so grateful for the new life it’s been able to give me.I no longer spend hours stuck in the bathroom or avoiding going out for fear of having an accident. I can eat without having terrible cramps and nausea for days after, and I can sleep without having to run to the bathroom multiple times a night.That’s not to say that there aren’t any downsides - having what is essentially a sticky bag of poo attached to you 24/7 is both physically and mentally challenging.I’m determined to use my experiences to raise awareness - not just on World Stoma Awareness Week, but year-round. With this in mind, I’m pleased to say that my newly re-vamped blog is live over at www.maliandme.co.uk where I’m sharing plenty of posts each month, including content surrounding getting and living with a stoma bag and mucus fistula.Together, let’s work on being more #StomaAware

I'm thrilled to announce that I've officially beco

I'm thrilled to announce that I've officially become the Motability Ambassador for Snows SEAT CUPRA! (@snowscupra)Through this ambassadorship, I hope to bring more awareness to the Motability scheme and highlight the fantastic work that Snows does in ensuring every customer finds a vehicle that supports their independence.Tomorrow, I'll be attending my first ambassador event at the Snows dealership in Southampton, where we'll be celebrating the launch of their new car. I'll also be sharing my first impressions of it from an accessibility perspective. Make sure to follow my stories for all the updates throughout the day!Image Description: A smiling young woman with shoulder-length blonde hair sits in the driver’s seat of a car, holding the steering wheel with her right hand. She’s looking towards the camera with a joyful expression. The car window is open, and you can see part of the dashboard and steering wheel, as well as a bit of greenery in the background through the windscreen.

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Introducing The Chronic Club

Being iconic doesn’t take a day off. Neither do we.

My Motability Car

Proudly working with Snows SEAT CUPRA as a Motability Ambassador