Last year, Diane from Pontefract was living every parent’s worst nightmare; her eldest child, now aged 14, was in constant agony suffering with severe juvenile arthritis and they were in the process of preparing for a bone marrow transplant for her. Throughout all this, Diane managed to continue to support her family and run a successful business. And in November 2017 she was crowned Cambridge Weight Plan’s Consultant of the Year.
“Six years ago, after successfully losing weight on Cambridge Weight Plan, I decided to become a Cambridge Weight Plan Consultant. When I first started my business I didn’t have high expectations. I said to my husband that I was going to sell a few shakes and see what happened as I didn’t have anything to lose.
“My eldest daughter Libby was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis when she was five, and I had my youngest daughter to look after as well, so I just wanted to be able to earn a bit of money around looking after them, doing the school runs, attending Libby’s hospital appointments, and my day-to-day mum jobs. I’d been a stay-at-home mum for eight years and I didn’t have any business experience at all, however, my business took off very quickly and I began to earn a considerable income.
“The more my business grew, the more I loved it. However, as Libby got older, her arthritis began to get worse. She was in constant pain and in and out of hospital, and eventually she was out of school for two years. Unfortunately, my husband had a breakdown and was unable to work, so my business became our main income.
“I was lucky enough to be in a position where I could work around all the chaos which was going on in my life. I wouldn’t have lasted a week in a normal 9-5 job; there’s no way on earth I would have been able to take that much time off work and still have a regular income.
“Some people asked me how I found the time to run my business alongside everything that was going on, but in all honesty, my business is the thing that kept me going. My family will always be my priority, but my business gave me a bit of control and normality to my life which was a bit chaotic at the time. I looked forward to seeing my clients and I don’t know what I would have done without my team.
“Fortunately, doctors have managed to find suitable medication for Libby which meant she did not have to have the bone marrow transplant. This medication has completely changed her life. Her health has dramatically improved and she’s enjoying her life again.
“I hope I can inspire people that they too can achieve what I have. I left school with no qualifications and I had no idea what I wanted to do. On top of that, I hadn’t worked in eight years because I was a stay-at-home mum. I can’t believe what I have managed to achieve and in such a short space of time, I’ve worked hard but I’ve enjoyed every minute! My business means the world to me and I have to thank Cambridge Weight Plan for that.”