SPRING 2016

This Is Me...
is a Shine group for anyone between the ages of
11 and 18 who has Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus.

A Golden Year ahead!

2016 is Shines Golden Anniversary year! Weve been
around for 50 years, first as ASBAH and then as Shine
Well be celebrating all year and officially launching this
Spring, so keep an eye out on the Shine Facebook, the
website (www.shinecharity.org.uk), This Is Me and more!

A New Year!
Its a New Year, and a new beginning so here are some fun
ways to get healthy and active this year, whether you make
a New Years resolution or not!

Fancy an active
challenge for 2016?

Can I play sports if

I have Hydrocephalus?
If you have Hydrocephalus, and have a shunt, you
may worry about whether your shunt will be damaged
through exercise. In fact, shunts are difficult to break or
dislodge and most sports and activities should be fine.
Here are a few tips to help:
It may be wise to avoid high contact sports where
players are grabbed around the neck such as judo
or rugby, or where it is likely youll get hit hard
in your stomach
Non-contact sports like rounders, track events,
cross-country running and tennis should be fine
Swimming is an excellent all round sport! If you have
Spina Bifida you may not notice that your legs are
getting cold, so dont stay in the water for too long

Exercise can help keep you in shape. It helps

to boost circulation, keeps your muscles strong
and, if you regularly use a wheelchair, it can
reduce the risk of pressure sores. There are
loads of ways to keep in shape, including sports.

Dont hang upside down (eg from wall bars) for

any length of time

It can help to set yourself a fitness goal.

Aim for something you can achieve:

Follow the safety advice for your sport. Wear helmets

for anything where injury to the head may occur
such as horse riding, skateboarding, cycling, climbing,
and canoeing

Do a 5K in your wheelchair - lots of 5K races are wheelchairfriendly. Its an achievable distance and a great opportunity
to train for strength and endurance!
Complete the Great North Run - this half marathon is in
September, giving you nearly 9 months to train. Shine has
charity places in the main event (minimum age 17) if you
want to raise funds too!
Take part in a TribalSeries event - these are fully accessible
mass-participation events designed for people of all abilities
who have a disability. Choose from ParaTri (complete alone
or as part of a team), ParaSwim, or ParaRun/Push.
For more information on how to get active, to find an event,
or for active challenge fundraising ideas, contact Cheyenne on
01733 421307 or email cheyenne.graves@shinecharity.org.uk

Get yourself Wheely Fit!

Here are some handy contacts for wheelchair sports:
www.getkidsgoing.com www.parasport.org.uk
www.wheelpower.org.uk www.efds.co.uk/

If you have an LP (lumbar peritoneal) shunt, avoid

twisting, as in aerobics and some dance, or sports
where you need to twist at the waist, such as golf

Contact Shine or your GP or Neurosurgeon if you

have any questions

Kaela says...

I have just started going back to wheelchair basketball

and it is really good fun. I dont use my wheelchair very
often at home so basketball is a great way for me to
build upper body strength. My arms ache a bit after a two
hour session but this gets better the more I go. I love the
fact that at wheelchair basketball I can go at the same speed
as everyone else and everyone is treated equally. I also
love swimming. This is a great sport for someone with Spina
Bifida. My legs dont work well in water but I am a strong
swimmer and am good at all the strokes, using mostly my
arms. My favourites are front crawl and breaststroke.

Imogen says...

I love cheerleading, swimming and trampoline

lessons. Trampolining is the most amazing thing
ever. Im looking forward to being in a cheerleading
show with my cousin and friends

Are you drinking enough?

You cant survive without water. It makes
up over half your body and is vital for
you to work well. So drinking water is
important. It doesnt have any calories
and (tap water) is free and if you
drink enough water, it can make
your skin look great too!
Here Shines Health Development
Officer, Robin Barnatt, gives us
a few tips about staying healthy.
Drinking enough is something
that all of us need to keep an eye
on in hot weather or if weve been
physically active.

Here are some tips

for staying hydrated:
1. Keep a bottle of water with you
during the day, so its within easy
reach. That will also help to remind
you to drink
2. Drink little and often (try to drink
up to two 1L bottles every day
if you can)
3. Drink water before, during, and
after exercise
4. Limit how many other types of drink
you have such as smoothies, juice,
squash and fizzy drinks, as they
may contain lots of sugar which
isnt good for you, and choose low
calorie versions with no added
sugar on the label.

Dont get dehydrated

If you dont drink enough you may
become dehydrated. Dehydration
can be very serious and even lead to
kidney problems, because your body
stops getting rid of waste products, and
can affect the balance of your salts
and sugars. If you have Spina Bifida
its especially important to keep well
hydrated.
One way to tell if you are dehydrated is
the number of times you go to the loo
and the colour of the urine it should
be pale yellow. If you dont need to go
as often as usual, or you only pass a
small amount each time and its dark in
colour, its likely that youre dehydrated.
Other signs include: having a headache,
feeling tired and weak, mood swings
and dry lips. Drinking more water
should help to sort this but if you are
worried talk to your GP or pharmacist.
lts extra important for people with
Hydrocephalus to make sure they
remember to drink enough.

Shine Summer
Rez
Hello, my name is Daniella
and I am part of the Shine
Youth Council.
I just wanted to tell you guys
about the Summer Rez. It was
the best holiday because I made
so many new friends and did
some really fun activities, including
archery, swimming, different crafts
and meeting goats! For any of you
who are wondering whether or not
you should go, do it because no
matter how anxious you are it will
be something you wont regret!
Yes - we really did meet
some goats!

Do a Wee check...
How dehydrated are you?
A quick way to test how well you
are hydrated is to check the colour
of your urine.

Can dogs play too?

Very pale
yellow or no colour
Too much cut back
on the water a little.
Pale yellow
Youre doing well.
Keep it up!
Mid yellow
Normal, but maybe drink a
little more to get back on track.
Dark yellow/orange
You could be dehydrated.
Drink some water now.

Is it a rat or a mouse?

Eat Yourself Healthy!

Here are a couple of Healthy recipes that you might like to try in the New Year

Vegetable Chilli
Serves 4
You will need:
1 dessertspoon of vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 courgette, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
410g tin chopped tomatoes
210g tin kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon tomato puree
2 teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1. In a saucepan cook the onions
for 5 minutes until soft.
2. Add the courgette and pepper
and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato
puree, chilli powder, paprika and kidney
beans and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir
occasionally. Make sure you taste your
chilli as you might like to add some
more chilli powder to make it hotter.
4. Serve with rice.

Rowans Triple Chocolate Cookies

(OK, not quite so healthy but a yummy treat!)
Makes 24 biscuits
You will need:
100g soft brown sugar
100g golden caster sugar
100g butter, softened
1 egg
225g plain flour
140g milk chocolate, melted

Enjoy!!

85g white chocolate chips

85g plain chocolate chips
Serves 4
Cut four medium size potatoes into half,
then into quarters and then into wedges.
Place them on a baking tray and drizzle
over some vegetable oil, then sprinkle
with garlic salt and paprika. Cook in
the oven at 200C or Gas No. 6 for 25
minutes until crispy. Turn the chips over
halfway through cooking.

7. Bake in the oven for 8 9 minutes

until golden but still soft to touch.
8. When firm and cool, place on a
cooling rack and drizzle over the
remaining melted chocolate.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheery Chips!

6. Use a tablespoon to scoop out balls

of dough and place them on the
baking tray. Leave enough space
between the balls for them to spread.

1. Turn oven on to Gas No. 6 / 200C.

2. Line two baking trays with baking
parchment.
3. Mix together the sugars and butter
with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the egg, vanilla extract, flour
and half the melted chocolate.
Mix well to form a dough.
5. Stir in the white and plain
chocolate chips.

Youth Council
The last Shine Youth Council weekend was held in
October at the Zinc Arts Centre in Essex. We had a
very busy weekend discussing the role of the Youth
Council, what TIM members want from Shine and
how this can be incorporated into Shines plans
for the future, and a session on peer mentoring.
The weekend finished with an information session
on the history of Hydrocephalus and shunts, and the
opportunity to see a shunt. Two of the main issues
discussed were how TIM members can make contact
with one another, especially those that are too young to
be on the TIM Facebook page and how those already
on Facebook can be encouraged to contribute.
It was agreed that we would try to put TIM members
in contact with one another by e-mail or letter. Included
with this newsletter is a form for you to complete if you
would like to do this. Please remember that if you are
under sixteen your parent/carer will need to sign the
form too. If you are on the Shine TIM Facebook page,
look out for some new things happening Daniella has
set up Book Club and Rowan is uploading a weekly
song. Please dont be shy, we would love to see more
members joining the Facebook group! It is a closed
group, so no one outside of the page can see your
comments, and it is monitored by Shine staff who
can provide support with any issues you may have.
Angela Bailey

What do YOU want

from This Is Me?
Would you like an interactive website?
Do you want downloadable leaflets on teen topics or paper copies?
If we held information days what areas would you like covered education, independent living skills, good mental health, continence issues....?
What sort of social events would you like?
Please e-mail your thoughts and suggestions to angela.bailey@shinecharity.org.uk
Registered Charity no 249338 www.shinecharity.org.uk 01733 555988

Many thanks for the generous

support from the ScottishPower
Foundation which has helped us to
develop the Shine Youth Council.