WEBVTT

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I've been a carer all my life.

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My life's different because I tend to be more like
a parent than a child.

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I have to look after my mum 
instead of her looking after me.

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I care for my mum.

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My typical day would be...

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I'll get up, go to my mum's house,

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check she's all right, make sure 
she's had her tablets.

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I'll go to work and then normally, 
I'll get a call from her,

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drunk and crying and screaming and shouting
that someone is trying to kill her,

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 which they normally aren't, but that's what she says.

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And that she doesn't know where she is
and I get a bit worked up and go and find her.

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The last time it happened, 
it was three or four days ago,

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she'd head-butted a glass window 
and cut all her arms open.

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I had to go and see her and take her to hospital.

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Being a young carer affected me by... if my mum was ill,
I wouldn't be able to go in to school.

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Or, I would go to school and 
worry about her all day.

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I'd come home and there'd be smoke 
coming from the kitchen

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because she'd cook something 
and fall asleep and forget.

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It made me hang around with the wrong people
and I got moved away from Blackpool to Blackburn,

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so I missed out on most of my schooling 
and failed my GCSEs.

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It didn't feel like I had more pressure on me,

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because I didn’t know what pressure 
other young people had.

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No, I don't feel appreciated by my mum.

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I get some help now, but I never used to.

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For other young carers like me...

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Don't be afraid to tell people that you need
support, and you need help, and when you need it.

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Through being a young carer I've learnt how to...

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probably think fast in stressful situations...

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handle a lot of things at once.

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I think if I did change some things 
in my life if I could,

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my life would be completely different
and it might not be like it is now.

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I kind of like it now.

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I never used to, but I do now,
so I don't think I'd change anything.

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I'm doing a diploma and 
working at Blackpool Carer Centre.

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I've got my own house.

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I think if I changed something, 
I wouldn't be the person I am now.

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I wouldn't be who I am. I like who I am.

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I don't want to change anything.