Just for kids

Young Emphasis columnist Emily is 11 years old and has had pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) since she was 3. She started secondary school in September, and couldn’t wait to tell us all about it… by Emily Gravenstede This September I started secondary school. I go to the Clere School which is in my village and so I can walk there. On my way to school, I meet up with a few of my friends. I am really enjoying my new school – I love all the different subjects. I have joined three clubs – dance, netball and choir. I have made some brand new friends, but still see some friends from my old school too. At school my PH affects me in a few different ways. The school has two floors of classrooms, but no lift. I find I get puffed out on the stairs, especially if I have to go from the ground floor to the second floor. It’s hard to stop to breathe on the stairs when the corridors are busy because you get swept along with the crowd. In PE at the moment we are doing netball and that requires a lot of running about and so a lot of the time I am out of breath, but I do enjoy netball!

Luckily, the school has helped me to find ways to overcome the challenges. I have a card to carry with me that I can use to explain to teachers why I am late if I have had to stop to breathe on my way to a lesson. I have been given a light

Starting secondary school with PH Me on my first day of secondary school portable fold up chair to take with me when going upstairs in case I need to sit down and rest. Sometimes I use the chair when I get to my classroom so I can sit rather than stand while waiting for the teacher. I am also allowed to leave my class 5 minutes early if I have to go from the ground floor to the top floor so I can avoid the busy corridors. In netball, I will usually play goal shooter, or a position like it, where there is less running, and when doing warm ups as well as matches, I am allowed to sit out if I get too out of breath. I hope you are all enjoying your new school term!

Clothing range Unhidden is designed specifically for people with health conditions, taking into account mobility problems, swelling, Hickman lines, and more. We spoke to founder Victoria Jenkins, who lives with chronic illness herself, about how her ‘adaptive fashion’ business is aiming to change representations of disability.

Fashion thatfits

As a former employee of Victoria Beckham’s fashion empire, London-based Victoria has made the move from celebrity status pieces to clothes that really matter. 'Unhidden' was launched in 2020 after a chance encounter with a woman with cancer chimed with Victoria’s own experiences of the challenges of ‘regular’ clothing.

With a paralysed stomach, diseased digestive organs, and chronic pain, Victoria found fashion physically hurt – and admits she used to stay at home following her many surgeries, simply to avoid having to get dressed.

During one hospital stay, she met a fellow patient who, with cancer and other health conditions, was constantly having to undress for doctors to deal with her arm line, chest port and stoma.

“This lady told me she couldn’t dress for work, or even how she wanted at home, and she had to get naked every time doctors came around”, said Victoria. “This made me think about modesty and dignity as well, which is obviously a huge problem”.

Victoria heard from her that pyjama tops and loungewear were the only options, because ‘nicer’ clothes wouldn’t adapt to her needs, and suddenly the idea for Unhidden was born.

The range, which includes products for both men and women, caters for many different health conditions through the use of adaptive features.

For example, the shirts all have openings in the arm for easy access for lines or procedures, and wrap tops are designed for discreet tube access. Twill trousers have adjustable front wraps to allow for changing stomach size, and the dress allows access to the stomach through a hidden zip underneath the outer layer.

“I don’t use buttons, everything is snap fastenings, to help people with reduced dexterity. I try and make sure all the seams are flat from a sensory point of view, and there are a lot of considerations, generally, across the board.”

The collection also includes seated trousers specifically designed for wheelchair users, and all of the pieces are created to be attractive as well as functional – something that is important to Victoria.

“The focus is on dignity and style”, she said. “When I first started looking into [adaptive clothing] I saw how ugly it was, and I thought it was terrible that was the only choice. I wanted to create what looks like ‘everybody else’s clothing’.

“I subscribe to the idea that everything Unhidden pricing ranges from £55 for a wrap top, to £70 for twill trousers and £90 for a double layer dress. Each piece is currently made to order, and Victoria hopes that when she moves to making the clothes in large batches, as the business grows, the price point will reduce.

is universally designed, so the range isn’t just for people with disabilities, it’s for non-disabled people too.”

It’s not just for adults either. Unhidden will launch an adaptive clothing range for children, in collaboration with Paw Patrol, before the end of the year – and a SpongeBob SquarePants collection will follow in 2023.

With a focus on sustainability, all of Unhidden’s garments are made from ‘deadstock’, which is excess cloth from other retail companies that would otherwise go to landfill. And Victoria is working hard to use the business as a platform for change when it comes to representation.

“I chose the name ‘Unhidden’ because representation of the disabled community is so bad. We are literally hidden away, and essentially segregated. The brand is very much about taking that back and saying ‘we won’t be hidden anymore’.

“Unhidden is about more than just fashion. It’s about raising awareness in the industry. It’s the first adaptive brand to join the British Fashion Council, and every time I talk about Unhidden, I’m advocating disability inclusion.”

Victoria also lives her values as a brand ambassador for a modelling diversity charity, and as co-founder of 'No Comment Required', an ethical slogan clothing range focusing on positive representation for people with mental health issues and disabilities.

Her future plans include the launch of a not-for-profit training arm, with workshops to teach people with disabilities and chronic health conditions how to make their own clothing alterations.

Victoria runs Unhidden alone,

and admits that managing the demands of the business and her advocacy work alongside her health conditions can sometimes be a challenge. But speaking to Emphasis fresh from featuring in a Kurt Geiger campaign, and with more high-profile collaborations in the pipeline, Victoria is adamant it’s worth it.

“This has all given me one hell of a purpose”, she added. “When I was working on clothes at Victoria Beckham, they were beautiful clothes, but who was I really helping?

“Unhidden has helped me realise I still have value, as I spent so long [with my health conditions] just trying to survive, rather than thinking about a future career. We can do an awful lot more than the world thinks we can, and I’m quite proud of that.”

“Every time I talk about Unhidden, I’m advocating disability inclusion”

www.unhiddenclothing.com Unhidden and see the full range at You can find out more about

Zac Gunn was listed for a lung transplant in the summer of 2021 and his family are doing their best to live full lives while they wait. His mother Ashley told us why…

the call Waiting for

Zac, who is four, was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension at the age of one. He lives with his parents Ashley and Gordon, and five-year-old brother Jacob, in Motherwell in Scotland.

We were told that Zac would need a double lung transplant just over a year ago and for the first few months it was really hard. I would just sit and wait for the call, not feeling like I could live my life. I was scared to do certain things, like go out for dinner with Gordon, in case it came then. It felt irresponsible.

But now, a year down the line, I’ve realised we need to live our lives as much as we can. As a family we’re all living through the journey; I know we’re still going to get the call, and we all need to be happy.

We have a bag ready to go just in case, and we’re raring to go whenever the call comes, but if you’ve not got a happy mum and dad then you’re not going to have a happy child. That’s what I keep saying to people – you need to strive for a happy life.

Zac knows that he’s going to get new lungs and the two boys know exactly what’s going to happen. Gordon and I have been very honest with them, and we talk about it all the time. Zac is so excited for it; he can’t wait to stick on his backpack and go down to London for it when the time comes.

Zac is charismatic, cheeky, and funny. He is so resilient and really is a force to be reckoned with. As adults, we couldn’t go through what he does.

Just like his brother, he needs to understand that there are rules; sometimes that’s hard because he’s a typical four-year-old and likes to test the boundaries, but I guess that’s why he’s such a loveable rogue.

I cannot wait until his new lungs mean he can be out playing all day with his brother and running around.

Jacob absolutely worships Zac. He looks after him, he knows when the meds are due, and I’m just so proud of the two of them.

We travel from Scotland to Great Ormond Street in London every three months with Zac, and Jacob goes to stay with my mum. As a family, you deal with it, but as a sibling, it’s another kettle of fish. He smashes it though.

We did as much as we could with them over the summer holidays. We can’t go swimming because of Zac’s Hickman line, and we can’t go abroad in case the

Off icially a ‘child of courage’

In June this year, Zac was given a national bravery award in recognition of his strength. The youngster walked the red carpet with his parents and brother at the Daily Record Pride of Scotland Awards, where he was presented with the ‘Child of Courage’ accolade. Mum Ashley said: “The evening was absolutely magical. It was beautiful, and although Zac and his brother Jacob are superstars in our eyes, other people got to see how amazing they are too. I felt like the award was for both of them, as Jacob deals with a lot too.” The Pride of Scotland Awards celebrate ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and sees awe-inspiring Scots being recognised for their outstanding achievements. “As amazing as it was to see Zac win this award, it would be a million times better to get the phone call to say there are lungs available. I just need people to know how rare it is to get a new set of lungs and how much we need them.”

call comes, but we went to Flamingo Land and stayed in a caravan, we went to Glasgow for the day, and we just did as much as we could. It’s difficult to plan things too much but whatever chances we are given, we take with both hands.

I’ve always been signed up to donate my organs myself but naively, I didn’t think kids would ever need to go through this.

I’ve been at Great Ormond Street with Zac when children have come in for heart and lung transplants and I’ve seen the difference in their lives. It’s a game changer, and how phenomenal is it that one child could potentially save another eight. That in itself is absolutely beautiful.

Ashley spoke to us about the family’s situation in the summer of 2022. You can find out more about organ donation, and transplant in children, at www.organdonation.nhs.uk