It's your responsibility, no matter what, how old you are, your parents are your responsibility.
I think a lot of carers do miss out on their childhood.
I think Bernardo's is what they're there for really, is to try and bring back the childhood, bring back the child.
I have to help my mum get dressed. I have to help her get washed, give my mum a shower.
From the age of 10 through to 12 I found it very difficult because I was juggling school with looking after my dad as well.
I remember coming home and just wanting to sit down after the full day in reception. My cousins, I had to clean the floor, I had to get the hoover out. Just mind the task, but it was a lot to ask of four or five years old to do.
Also at that time my mum was living away from home, but she had quite a strong drug problem. Along with looking after my dad and my mum's drug problem it became almost unbearable.
When you're younger it is, you have to do it, there's no way out of it. For me to come to young carers it was a respite for me. It was a chance for me to be a kid.
Benardos, first of all they got my dad in touch with carers so they could look after my dad more and give me more kind of free time.
Secondly they allowed us to go on trips away and to socialise with people in the same situation as myself.
My mum understood that I needed a chance to be a child and she also understood the help that young carers would give me, especially when Benardos told me all about what MS was and how it would affect my mum.
I'd sit back and go okay, this is how it is.
I became more kind of respected by my teachers because I was doing the work and I became kind of close to my friends because I now have the time to spend with them.
It wasn't for young carers, it would look after us, it would help us, it would stop me from wanting to commit suicide.
Going through the experience myself it means that I can chat to the young people and say I can talk to them on their level.
You get to the next stage where you become the mentor to somebody else and you don't even realise you're doing it.
Thank you.
