This week I’ll be hosting a voluntary online zoom chat for the charity, Together for Short Lives. They have very kindly supported my vision of a men’s support group for Dad’s, Grandad’s and male carers who care for a child with complex needs.

I came up with the idea of ‘Brews Brothers’ during lockdown as I feel that men are often overlooked when their child is diagnosed with a serious illness. Most Dad’s would probably just try to carry on as normal and deal with it in their own way. As I’ve found out that’s not always the easiest route. Counselling is also not readily available, I had to wait 8 months for an appointment and it’s also not for everyone!

The first meeting will be football themed and will be very informal. I’m not expecting an outpouring of feelings or emotions, it’s mainly just a way of casually saying ‘You’re not alone’ or in football terms ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. I know from my experience I always feel a lot better when I speak to another ‘Duchenne Dad’, immediately you’re connected with someone who can resonate with your experiences.

Our discussions this week will be based on the following:

• Favourite all time goal
• Favourite all time player
• Favourite player from the club you support and why (past or present)
• Best game you’ve witnessed live (or if you’re a Man U fan on telly!) 🤣
• Greatest manager of all time
• Wear a retro football shirt if you have one!

All the chats won’t be based around football as I know everyone isn’t a fan. I’m hoping that in the future we can base the chats around other topics such as Music, Sport, Films. I’m open to suggestions so please leave a comment.

If you’re reading this and you may know of anyone that may benefit from a bit of ‘extra time’ to themselves please feel free to share this post or you can sign up via this link. We will meet regularly to chat and hopefully have a laugh together in a supportive forum.

All they need to bring is themselves, a brew and a packet of their favourite biscuits! They can even dig out a retro football shirt if they have one!

Thanks,

Kieron x