Weighing in at only 4lb 10oz, she was scared for the mortality of this frail, bald, tiny bundle and spent hours upon hours fretting that her baby would not ‘make it’.

Doctor’s reassured her, “Please don’t worry Miss Stewart - premature babies tend to grow quite big. She’ll be fine!”

Within 3 months, the baby had been put on a diet due to over-compensating feeds. Within the same time-frame, the young Mum had developed excruciating pain in her joints. Both her and her baby now lived on the children’s ward of the hospital, as her unknown condition deteriorated. Within 6 short months, she was no longer able to walk and in time, doctors would go on to make a diagnosis; Rheumatoid Arthritis. This confused many, as in the late 70’s, Rheumatoid Arthritis was seemingly restricted to the elderly or under 5’s (Junior Arthritis).

We would go on to live in the hospital for many months and it’s where I had my first birthday. It’s also where my Mumsy, Barbara Stewart - with fire in her belly - refused to give up. At the beginning of this ordeal, she’d made a vow that she would be walking again - unaided - in time to attend my Uncle’s wedding scheduled for Summer 1976 and with steadfast determination, she accomplished her goal.

Such was the passion, determination and unadulterated conviction of my dear Mumsy. A woman who went on to become an unwavering voice for many, championing and advocating for others with disabilities, always going above and beyond for those in need, as well as challenging herself and the system.

A trained Counsellor, a self-taught Welfare Benefits Adviser (who selflessly volunteered for over 30 years), Performance Poet, Mother, Godmother, Nanny, Sister, Daughter, Friend and the ORIGINAL PosAbility Ambassador, Barbara Stewart inspired me throughout my life.

On October 4th, 2016, Mumsy sadly lost her life to Sepsis whilst in hospital for an eroded hip that was causing her immense pain.

8 years on, her fighting spirit lives on and whenever I am faced with challenges, I recall the many obstacles she overcame, the battles she endured, the sacrifices she regularly made for others. I draw on her words of wisdom and encouragement, “Feel the fear and, do it anyways Cyd’s, you’re a Stewart. You’ve got this!”

Nothing was ever too much for Mumsy. Whenever she was told something was not possible, she’d respond with, “There are ALWAYS pos-abilities!” and it’s a mantra that she fully embodied, in her every movement - whether in pain with ‘Arthur’ as she affectionally called Arthritis, or on her ‘good days’.

An avid writer and Performance Poet, Mumsy had a desire to publish a book of poetry.

Just a week before she was admitted to hospital in September 2016, she did just that. My Shape is a book about her life, in her words, with a wonderful motion graphic of her hands that look as if she is gesticulating when you flick the pages quickly. It’s so apt, because her hands were a symbolic part of her life and character.

Despite Arthritis taking hold of the joints in her hands and rendering them different from what is considered the norm, despite being advised that she may not be able to write, in time, she embraced their originality, adorned them with jewellery and stuck two-fingers up at the idea that she’d lose her ability to write (her hand-writing is distinctive and beautiful). When an opportunity arose for a hand portrait, created by Stephen Lee-Hodgkins, to be featured in an exhibition, she jumped at the chance. She said she wanted to challenge people’s perceptions of ‘normal’ and so the image of her hand with her Swan-like fingers, became an iconic one.

Mumsy continually inspired me, by challenging and changing perceptions, by ‘turning disability on its head’, by encouraging my Sister and I to always focus on the posAbilities in life.

Whilst no longer here in the physical realm, her legacy, wisdom and love for all things hip-hop, live on.

You can download Mumsy’s book, My Shape, here.

I hope it makes you smile :)

Cyd