I have never borrowed nowt in my life because I got given a cheap council house paid for by others
Aww diddums.
Don't start.
Some folk go through life struggling with their lot but managing to work and be independent and pay their own way, but then suddenly and unexpectedly find themselves in a position where (through absolutely no fault of their own) they can no longer do that.
Then they have no alternative (bar rich relatives or a lottery win) other than to fall back on state aid.
I think you've now guessed I'm talking about me here.
Let me tell you a story.
I was born 3 months premature and as a result suffered what today they would call birth trauma. In those days it was called something else and, boy did the kids love to call me names!
While I was being born, I got stuck in the birth canal and the doctors could not get me out. Basically (grim though it was) the doc told my Ma that I would probably die anyway, so they would come back in the morning to get me out.
Well, I was still breathing in the morning, although Mum said I had turned black.
I was starved of oxygen and suffered Cerebral Palsy, causing a right sided hemi-paresis.
I spent 6 weeks in an oxygen tent and suffered all sorts of horrible diseases and conditions like pneumonia and hydrocephalus.
My right side is less developed, arm and leg weaker shorter etc. My right achilles was too short, meaning I could not put my heel down when walking. I had to have 2 very painful ops to correct that.
When I was 21, I had viral encephalitis, which is similar to meningitis.
It left me with no short-term memory.
Due to my developmental issues, I now have a worn-out left hip and knee: but not enough to operate, so I have to live with daily aches and pains.
I have mid - high frequency deafness in both ears. Over the last few years I have developed all sorts of other conditions.
My pituitary has gone haywire, meaning some of my hormone levels have dropped, while others have risen. I suffer Myasthenia Gravis, have double vision and extended ocular migraines.
In 2006, I went for a routine test that all but killed me. I suffered an anaphylactic reaction that required the immediate attention of a crash team of 13. Lucky for me.
My walking is getting more difficult now. I am still determined to carry on, but I have to accept my increasing limitations.
Because of my migraine problems, I have not been allowed to drive (and therefore work) since March.
Money is now very tight. Savings are gone. I now have to rely on state hand-outs. I am not a scrounger.
I have worked hard and pay my dues all of my life.
But, unfortunately, now is my hour of need.