Life Changing

As a young man, engineer Michael Ashcroft was plagued by excruciating headaches, along with neck pain and a rushing sound in his ear. Eventually scans were made revealing a tumour the size of a tangerine behind his left ear. It required twelve hours of complex surgery and left Michael with temporary deafness in one ear, a lopsided face, limited swallowing and barely any capacity for speech. Seeing his face reflected in a hospital window he was appalled and at the same time profoundly moved. Half his face was in daylight, the handsome young man who had entered the hospital a few days before. The other half, in shade, looked to him like a monster. In an instant he had an overwhelming desire to capture that image, and to do that he would become a painter – drawing comparisons to the industrial artistic genius of L.S. Lowry. Michael talks to Dr Sian Williams about the challenges of recovery, and describes his determination to teach himself to paint. Producer: Tom Alban

When Jess Martinez was just thirteen, she was sexually abused by her sister's much older boyfriend. No charges were brought at the time, but the impact it had on Jess's life was dramatic, causing lasting damage. Many years later, when Jess discovered her abuser had been jailed for another case of child abuse, she took the courageous decision to tell her own story, waiving her right to lifelong anonymity. Speaking to Dr Sian Williams, Jess describes the challenges of bringing an old case to court and praises the police and lawyers whose efforts provided her longed-for Life Changing moment.Producer; Tom Alban

When highly experienced caver George Linanne fell during an expedition in the massive Ogof Ffynnon Ddu cave system in Wales , he wondered whether he would ever reach the surface. With a leg broken in two places, and multiple injuries to his jaw, collar-bone, chest and internal organs, he was in excruciating pain. Some 300 cavers from across the UK took part in what became one of the longest cave rescues in UK history. George tells Dr Sian Williams about his accident, his incredible escape and why he is back caving - the sport he loves - as well as becoming a cave rescuer himself.Producer: Tom Alban

Jacqui Furneaux had enjoyed a happy marriage, bringing up two daughters and working as a nurse. Sadly, the marriage broke down, and feeling guilty, Jacqui decided to get out of people’s way and go travelling. As a woman in her late 40s , the back-packing life was a novelty. But while visiting the golden city of Jaisalmer in north-western India - and preparing to take a camel tour into the nearby desert - she met a Dutch biker. It was a chance encounter, sparked by their mutual interest in motorbikes . It led to Jacqui abandoning the camel plans and joining her new companion on a short tour of the frontier desert of northern India. With stops and starts and a few glitches on the way, Jacqui tells Dr Sian Williams how that sliding door moment turned out to be life-changing, leading to seven years on the open road and a journey of rediscovery and adventure. Producer: Tom Alban

It was a summer evening in 2014, when four men barged into Paul Kohler’s family home and began a savage assault on him. They believed erroneously that he had a large amount of money hidden there. The speed of the police response meant that Paul was saved from almost certain death, and the four men were later arrested, charged and imprisoned. Although he felt vindicated by the sentencing, Paul’s worldview was changed forever when he and his family were invited to visit one of the attackers in prison, as part of a Restorative Justice scheme. In an episode recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Literary Festival, Paul tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing confrontation, and how frustration with the way his ordeal was reported led to him into politics. Producer: Tom Alban

In 1975, Richard Dailey was the victim of a freak wave that swept him overboard from the vessel he was working on in the North Sea. His daughter Angie was just five years old - and the news of his death was one of her first memories. Although they were compensated financially, the impact of that loss was difficult to understand and over the years it caused tension between Angie and her mother. Angie inherited a treasured box of old letters and photographs from her father, but felt unable to open it. Angie wrote in to Life Changing to tell Dr Sian Williams how a decision to mark his life, on the 50th anniversary of his death, helped her finally know her father and understand her part in his life.Producer: Tom Alban

Like so many who serve, Falklands veteran Geoff Stear took trauma away with him - in his case a very particular reaction to the smell of meat. It was so powerful and debilitating that it made his life almost impossible, leading him to injure himself and endanger others as he tried to get away from the perceived danger. On several occasions it left him hospitalised – once with a broken neck - with no recollection of how he had got there. His life hit rock-bottom, until a chance meeting with a stranger changed everything. In this heartwarming episode, Geoff introduces Dr Sian Williams to his unlikely saviour Charlie, whose capacity to intervene when danger threatens has given Geoff back his freedom and sense of worth.Producer: Tom Alban

In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great. Not long after, life took her in a completely different direction. Shortly after her 70th birthday, while thinking of names for a grandson to be, she remembered Benedict. Where was he now? After a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned. Carol tells Dr Sian Williams about the emotional moment they reunited, after almost half a century.Producer; Tom Alban

Phillip Browne was born into a large and loving Windrush generation family in Birmingham. Church and singing were an important part of his upbringing, and when he struggled at school it was singing that gave him an escape and a status. But just as he was beginning to show signs of real potential, a devastating ear infection robbed him of his hearing completely in one ear - and Phillip was told by a doctor that a singing career was out of the question. Phillip's struggle in the aftermath of his illness and his need to find a job resulted in him becoming a London bus driver. He knew the security of employment was a relief to his father who had spent a lifetime working on the railways, but it seemed to be leading him further and further away from his dream. Until a chance meeting with an old college friend turned his life in an extraordinary new direction.Phillip tells Dr Sian Williams about that Life Changing moment - and his incredible journey to the bright lights of the West End stage. Producer: Tom Alban

Robin Elsey Webb is a young and already very successful yachtsman with a dream of tackling the famous Vendee Globe, the single-handed round the world yacht race. But his plans were shattered during a trip to Antigua, when he was violently attacked and suffered severe head injuries. With his life hanging in the balance, it fell to his partner Liz to make swift and bold decisions about his treatment. Robin's job was to try and stay alive. Robin and Liz join Dr Sian Williams to piece together their own very different experiences of that terrifying ordeal, which changed so many things for both of them. Producer: Tom Alban

As a bright adventurous 16 year-old, Angela Tilley was thrilled to get a job in a busy London office. But after a year's unwanted attention from one of her co-workers, attention that today we would call stalking, she started having panic attacks on the way to work. The attacks became a debilitating daily occurrence, leaving her mentally and physically exhausted. Her courage in pushing back against her fears, forging a career and having a family came at a huge personal cost. But one seemingly innocuous purchase was about to change her life forever.Angela tells Dr Sian Williams about how she overcame her challenges and how she managed to stop her phobia defining her life. Producer: Tom Alban

Husband and father, Larry O’Brien, loved the freedom his job as a long-distance lorry driver gave him. But on March 6th 1987, that freedom was almost lost in the horror of the Zeebrugge ferry disaster, in which almost 200 people lost their lives. Larry – who could not swim – risked his own life to pull 30 people to safety. Almost 40 years later, Larry tells Dr Sian Williams why he never felt like a hero, how he came to terms with what happened, and why – after a career change into local politics – he decided to return to the road. Producer: Tom Alban

When 18-year-old Stacey Goodwin got a job at a bookies, she put a pound coin into a slot machine and won enough money for a night out with her pals. It was the trigger for a destructive gambling addiction that led to a life of shame, brutal isolation and deceit. The money she lost over an eight-year period was eye-watering – on one occasion, frittering away a £50,000 online win in a matter of days. Sometimes suicidal, and always lonely, it was the damage she did to those closest to her which hurt the most.When her addiction saw her undermine the financial security of someone she loved, she reached a crossroads. Stacey tells Dr Sian Williams how she found the strength to ask for help - and turned her life around. Producer: Tom AlbanWarning: This episode contains discussions around suicide. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

In 1977, Ed Stewart was a happy-go-lucky teenager with his whole life ahead of him. With a new engineering job, a girlfriend and a motorbike, life was good. But when he dropped in on a friend’s party, a violent row with another teenager - who was carrying a shotgun - turned Ed’s whole life on its head. Ed had to learn to navigate the world in an entirely different way, but he made a success of it - becoming a piano tuner to the stars and counting Jools Holland and Brian Ferry as his customers. Despite a life of adversity, he tells Dr Sian Williams how not just one, but two Life Changing moments led him to be what he refers to as a “glass-three-quarters-full” kind of bloke. Producer: Tom Alban

For Lisa Hover and her husband Andy, life on the Hampshire Dorset border with their family of four children seemed idyllic. Even when a routine sight test on their young daughter Annabelle picked up an abnormality, it all seemed manageable. But the abnormality turned out to be early sight loss, which itself masked a more severe and life shortening genetic condition. With no cure available, Annabelle was determined the most from her limited life span. Lisa talks to Dr Sian Williams about the challenges, joys and sadness she experienced - and Annabelle's dream to have a white Christmas with all the family. Producer: Tom Alban

As a young man, Mohammed, AKA MFA Zaman, arrived in Britain from Bangladesh with a working visa, a patron and a job lined up as a chef. On arrival though, the promises of a bright future turned to ashes when he became a victim of modern slavery. But at this lowest of low ebbs in his life, Mohammed decided that he needed to do something - and that something was to volunteer at an old people's community club in Lewisham, near where he was living. Mohammed tells Dr Sian Williams how this life-changing decision helped him to find freedom. Producer: Tom Alban

After a whirlwind romance, Paul Mason and his wife Isabel were in no doubt that they wanted to start a family. It was not easy, but eventually that ordinary miracle happened. And yet it was a little more than ordinary - because they discovered they were to be parents to triplets. Paul tells Dr Sian Williams about the joyful and harrowing life-changing events of his children’s birth, and explains how the family have since discovered the extraordinary generosity of strangers. Producer: Tom Alban

Mother-of-two young children, Tanja Bage, had always been a keen singer and performer, so she was increasingly aware of her shortness of breath. The diagnosis was cancer, which required almost immediate surgery to remove the tumour, and with it her vocal chords. She would be losing her voice, and she had just a week to prepare herself and her family.Tanja tells Dr Sian Williams about navigating the challenges of motherhood whilst having to re-learn how to speak – and reveals an exciting new artistic venture which has changed her life. Producer: Tom Alban

After moving to Los Angeles, 12-year-old Dan Edozie and his mother were left homeless and begging for food. Life was not easy: they slept where they could, sometimes on public transport, sometimes in the refuges of the city’s infamous Skid Row. But a chance separation from his mother was about to change his fortunes forever.Dan tells Dr Sian Williams how this life-changing moment allowed him to take control of his own destiny and set his sights on sporting greatness. Producer: Elaina Boeteng

Sarah Fairbairns spent much of her life feeling she was a bit different. Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, she gained the reputation of a wild child – from travelling to India, to dancing on stage with the cast of iconic counter-culture musical Hair. And yet all the while, she faced bouts of sadness and depression, and a confusion as to why that should be. Later in life, Sarah made a discovery about a medical childhood trauma that changed the way she viewed the world – and wrote in to Life Changing to share her experience. Now in her seventies, Sarah speaks to Dr Sian Williams about how confronting her past has provided belated but extraordinary relief. Producer: Tom Alban

Strapped to explosives, threatened with execution and packed into a vehicle with a suicide bomber, civil engineer Nick feared for his life. It was 2013, and he had found himself at the heart of a violent attack on the Algerian gas facility he was working at, carried out by a group later revealed to be affiliated to Al-Qaeda. It was a deadly hostage situation, in which 39 workers lost their lives – several of them Nick’s close colleagues.Talking to Dr Sian Williams, he describes how the attack unfolded and why he has sought to use his horrific experience to support others facing similar trauma. Producer: Tom AlbanWarning: This episode contains descriptions of violence and death. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Dr Sian Williams looks forward to another series of extraordinary stories.

When twins Georgia and Melissa Laurie set off a once-in-lifetime adventure to Mexico in 2021, they thought it would be an opportunity for some sisterly bonding. Whilst on their travels, they went for an ill-fated swim in a lagoon – and found themselves in a terrifying fight for survival. They tell their incredible story to Dr Sian Williams, and explain how in that moment, and over the years that followed, their love for each other kept them alive.

Tony Redmond was an experienced medical doctor from Manchester, used to dealing with challenging situations. In December 1988, he attended two major global disasters that left him feeling a broken man, ready to hang up his stethoscope. But it turned out he was not quite done yet.After writing in to Life Changing about his experience, Dr Sian Williams invited him onto the podcast to share his story.

Tier Blundell was never a bad kid. He was bright and curious, but also disruptive. Growing up sandwiched between two cultures, he felt excluded from society. Those feelings were amplified when aged 11, Tier was informed by his school that he would not be welcome back following the summer holidays – instead being sent to a Pupil Referral Unit. He left there with no qualifications and a sense of shame, until the day he put on a suit, turned up for an unscheduled meeting and demanded another go at learning — the results of which are staggering.Tier tells Dr Sian Williams his story, and why he demanded a reckoning with the education system.

Su Chantry was adopted as a baby and grew up fantasising that she was the daughter of a French princess who would one day return for her. As an adult with her own family, Su received an unexpected and life-changing phone call. Su tells Dr Sian Williams how she rushed to meet her mother, and they would spend just one day together – her mum’s last.

Aged 19, Dan Simmonds turned down a university place and instead became an oil trader in the City of London. It was an exciting and ruthless environment driven by big risks and even greater rewards. But it ultimately challenged Dan’s values and filled him with a desire to seek something new. Over a decade later, whilst jogging around Regent’s Park, Dan made a discovery that would change his life and career.Dan tells his story to Dr Sian Williams.

When nurse and midwife Agnes Nisbett’s third baby was delivered, she was confronted by a profound need for systemic change. Agnes came to the UK as part of the Windrush generation and despite many barriers, “sheer hard work” got her to the top of her profession. However, her own hospital experience in the 1970s revealed just how flawed and uncaring the system could be.Now in her 80s, Agnes looks back on her time in the NHS, and shares with Dr Sian Williams how her personal loss inspired her to challenge and change things for others. Warning: This interview discusses the experience of stillbirth. Details of help and support with pregnancy-related issues are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Georgia Gabriel-Hooper is now 20, she works for a tractor dealership and enjoys bumbling around the countryside. But as a child, she was witness to a terrible event: her mother, Cheryl, was murdered in a domestic homicide. Understandably, that day had a profound impact on Georgia – who has since shown extraordinary courage and determination to use her personal testimony to raise awareness and create change around domestic abuse. Georgia tells her story to Dr Sian Williams. If you, or someone you know, has been affected by domestic abuse or violence, you can find details of support available on the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline. If you are in immediate danger, you should dial 999.

In this special edition of Life Changing, recorded in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival, we are catching up with Harriet Ware-Austin, who was a guest on the programme in 2021.Harriet had a difficult but important story to tell, concerning the deaths of her two sisters in a plane crash in Addis Ababa in April 1972. Harriet was only eight at the time and witnessed the event. Almost 50 years on, Harriet joined us to talk about the profound and long-lasting effects it had on her family. She also wanted to see if there was anyone else out there who had a connection to East African Airways Flight 720, but was totally unprepared for the extraordinary response her interview received.Two years later, this is the story of what happened after that interview and how it has been life-changing all over again.You can hear Harriet’s original interview here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000v8w8

Growing up in Newport with his mum and younger brother, Connor Allen struggled with his identity as a mixed race kid. He bottled up his feelings and as the anger and frustration built up, could not find the words to express his emotions. When his rage erupted into violence against his mum, she ended up doing the unthinkable and calling the police. He faced a prison sentence, his future at a crossroads. Connor tells his story to Dr Sian Williams in front of a live audience at the Hay Festival in May 2023.

When Alan and Irene met in 1959, their connection was instant. The two isolated children aged just seven and nine found warmth and kindness in each other in a children’s home that was unwelcoming and strict. They would steal moments together up on Bunny Hill and talk about their lives. But the home had a rule that boys and girls could not mix. So when their friendship was discovered, a year after they first met, Alan and Irene were separated. It would take four decades for them to find each other again.Many years later, Irene and Alan tell their story to Dr Sian Williams.

In August of 2006, Teresa Clark was driving five of her friends back home after a day at a music festival. Several hours into the journey she fell asleep at the wheel of their people carrier and crashed. Three passengers were killed, two others were injured as well as Teresa herself. She was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and spent time in prison. The guilt and shame of carrying that loss of life almost destroyed her. But in the 17 years since it happened Teresa has rebuilt; she now works in the mental health and wellbeing sector trying to keep the vow she made to live her life for her friends, and do some good in their memory. She tells Dr Sian Williams how she has rebuilt her life in the years since - keeping the vow she made to live her life for her friends, and do some good in their memory. Details of support with mental health issues and bereavement are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Ambitious police officer Clodagh Dunlop, 35, was used to dealing with emergency situations - until it was her own. Whilst training to run a 6-minute mile, her journey took a terrifying turn. Clodagh found herself trapped in her own body, hearing the conversations around her but unable to communicate. Speaking with Dr Sian Williams, she explains how she found the strength to make a remarkable breakthrough.

Rachel Watkyn’s upbringing was a contradiction: aristocratic but impoverished. She was forced to memorise her father’s extensive family tree and was expected to behave as the 'perfect young baroness'. Despite their status, the family did not have clean clothes or heating and she was called a ‘fleabag’ by other children at school. This left Rachel isolated, never knowing where she fitted in, and feeling not good enough. Years later, when Rachel was in her 50s, her father became unwell and made a startling revelation on his deathbed.Rachel tells her remarkable story to Dr Sian Williams.

When Will Darby left school in 2007, his peers all headed to university. But Will wanted something different – an adventure. In search of unridden waves to surf, he built himself an idyllic life in the Solomon Islands. Until the sea disappeared, and everything came crashing down… Will tells Dr Sian Williams about the turn of events that created a lifelong bond with the island and its inhabitants.

It is the summer of 2008, and a bride and groom have just stepped out of a carriage drawn by two white horses. The sun is out, the bridesmaids are wearing beautiful dresses, and everyone has drinks in hands. The day has gone smoothly for the wedding party. But for carriage driver Emily King – things are about to take a terrifying turn, as a chase begins. Years later, Emily tells Dr Sian Williams how she fought to survive – and why the scarring incident gave her “superpowers”. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

One Monday morning, Stephen is meeting with his boss in a crowded coffee shop. Minutes later he is at the centre of a horrific and brutal crime scene — his life hanging in the balance. The events leave him deeply scarred, both mentally and physically, but it prompts Stephen to press the reset button for himself and his family. For the first time publicly, Stephen tells his story to Dr Sian Williams, in the hope that sharing his experience will help him and others too. Warning: This episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. Details of help and support are available through the BBC Action Line at bbc.co.uk/actionline.

Being a TV news anchor was everything to Polly Evans until she was forced to re-evaulate her identity. Her turning point happened in the spotlight – in front of an audience of hundreds of thousands – when she felt deeply exposed and humiliated. It was caused by a physical condition called Adductor Spasmodic Dysphonia, but Polly’s journey since then has been one of self-knowledge and finding fulfilment in other ways, including a new career. She braves the studio for the first time to tell this story to Dr Sian Williams.

Hazel Ellis-Saxon was brought up in a busy household with four siblings in the village of Tiptree in Essex in the 1960s. She struggled with her school work and was often finishing assignments when the other children were enjoying playtime. One day in a quiet classroom Hazel overheard her form teacher describe her to a colleague as ‘mentally retarded’. These two words had a profound effect — leading her to believe that she must be a huge disappointment to her parents and would never enjoy a full life.Dr Sian Williams hears how this label shaped Hazel’s decisions for decades and what it took for her to throw it off.

It had been a beautiful day, Jessica Williams and her two young sons had been out in the local park enjoying the Welsh sunshine. By the time they got home they were happy but weary and looking forward to some cosy time on the sofa but as Jess opened the front door she noticed a strange smell. She put the boys in the sitting room and went into the kitchen to investigate — that was when the house exploded. Jessica tells Dr Sian Williams how the family, with the help of their village, began to rebuild their lives.

Growing up Joe Jaquest Oteng knew very little about his Dad; they struggled to find much common ground. Joe’s Dad, Peter, was guarded about his early life in Ghana and the family he had left behind when he emigrated to the UK in the 1960s. When Peter died Joe was left to sort through his belongings. He discovered bundles of documents, letters and photos which revealed new and shocking information which didn’t match the life story Joe had been told. Dr Sian Williams hears how Joe set out to find the truth about Peter and how along the way made some joyful discoveries for himself.

It was September 2000 when Lisa and her 10-year-old brother Gary were taken to the airport. Their Dad said they were going on holiday and that mum Tracey was going to join them later, just as soon as she could get time off work. As the children boarded the plane full of expectations for the trip they could not know how profoundly this moment would shape the rest of their lives – they were soon told Tracey had died and there was no point ever going back to England.Dr Sian Williams hears about Lisa’s struggles to adapt to a new life in Pakistan, trying to keep memories of home and her mum alive but falling into despair and loneliness. Meeting her Mum again and returning to England aged 17 comes with a whole new set of challenges.This story is told from two perspectives, to hear mum Tracey’s experience scroll back to the previous episode.

Tracey knew something was wrong the moment she got to the house. The place was empty, the children were gone and so was her husband Taz. Their marriage had broken down and they were going through divorce proceedings. Then she got a text message from him: ‘Gary and Lisa say goodbye forever.’ They’d been taken to Pakistan. Tracey enlisted the police, the Foreign Office and Interpol but in the absence of an agreement between Pakistan and England about parental child abduction cases — they were powerless. Tracey was advised not to travel to Pakistan and she had no idea where to start looking for them anyway. Dr Sian Williams hears what Tracey went through in the decade it took for her to find her children, and the complicated aftermath. In the next episode Sian talks to Lisa, Tracey’s daughter, to hear the story from her point of view.

Jason and Liz met by chance whilst travelling, they fell in love and within a year were engaged and expecting a child. 365 days after that first meeting, Jason woke up from a coma. He had suffered a devastating brain injury which meant he would have to learn to walk again just as his son was taking his first steps. As a couple, Jason and Liz Le Masurier had to navigate a new and unexpected course. They tell their story to Dr Sian Williams.

What do you do, if falling in love with someone becomes a matter of life or death? In 2013 Aderonke Apata found herself on a coach in the UK, heading for the airport, about to be deported to Nigeria. She’d left her home country years earlier in fear for her life. Her ‘crime’ was that she loved another woman. Same-sex couples in Nigeria face jail time from the courts and, in Aderonke's situation, the threat of deadly violence at the hands of mobs. As she got on the coach the documents that Aderonke had painstakingly compiled to stop her deportation were still being furiously faxed to the authorities.At the eleventh hour she was given a reprieve — and so her legal training had begun. She would successfully fight her own case and find herself a new career in the process. Aderonke tells her story to Dr Sian Williams.

Electra Rhodes is walking down a busy London street when she sees a man collapse. She’s recently completed a first aid course and in the absence of anyone else she steps up and starts CPR. When the ambulance arrives and takes the man to hospital she makes a comment to his friend. Her words trigger a chain of events that will dramatically change the course of four lives. Electra tells Dr Sian Williams her story.