Living Between Appointments

March 7, 2026.Reading time 2 minutes.

When Healthcare Exists in Gaps Illness isn’t just lived in appointments. It’s lived in the spaces between them. The six weeks.The three months.The “we’ll review in a year.” It’s lived in waiting rooms, and then in the long stretch after you leave them. The Appointment Isn’t the Whole Story Appointments can feel structured. There is […]

Being ‘Not Ill Enough’

March 5, 2026.Reading time 2 minutes.

When You’re Too Unwell to Function, But Too Well to Qualify There’s a space people with chronic illness know well. You are unwell. But not unwell enough. Not unwell enough for emergency care.Not unwell enough for urgent referrals.Not unwell enough to meet certain thresholds.Not unwell enough to be prioritised. But still too unwell to live […]

The Difference We’ve Made: Real Support, Real People, Real Impact

February 27, 2026.Reading time 3 minutes.

When we started the Mark Hewitson Foundation, the goal was simple: Provide immediate support when people need it most. Not next month.Not after a long assessment.Not once things have completely fallen apart. But in the moment. And since then, the difference has been real. The Numbers (Because They Matter) Since launching, we have: • Distributed […]

Leaving Bad Jobs Isn’t Always Easy: Why “Just Quit” Isn’t Real Advice

February 23, 2026.Reading time 7 minutes.

When someone talks about being miserable at work, the advice often comes fast: “Just leave.”“Find another job.”“Know your worth.” It sounds simple. But for many people, leaving a bad job isn’t a choice – it’s a risk they can’t afford to take. When Income Is Survival, Not Lifestyle For people living paycheque to paycheque, work […]

Social Mobility Isn’t Equal: Why “Work Hard and You’ll Succeed” Isn’t True for Everyone

February 21, 2026.Reading time 7 minutes.

We’re told the same story over and over. If you work hard, you’ll get ahead.If you try harder, you’ll succeed.If you fail, it’s because you didn’t want it enough. It sounds motivating. But it isn’t true. Because social mobility isn’t equal — and pretending it is only hides the real problem. Not Everyone Starts From […]

The Myth of the Perfect Employee: Why All Workplaces Aren’t Built for Real Humans

February 19, 2026.Reading time 7 minutes.

Somewhere along the way, we created an impossible standard. The “perfect employee”. Always available.Always productive.Never sick.Never overwhelmed.Never late.Never struggling. And most people are quietly failing to live up to it – because it doesn’t exist. What Does the “Perfect Employee” Look Like? According to people we have been supporting, their workplace culture defines the perfect […]

Day 1: What Is a Hidden Disability?

September 1, 2025.Reading time 3 minutes.

You can’t always see a disability. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t there. Hidden disabilities — also called invisible or non-visible disabilities — are conditions that affect a person’s day-to-day life but aren’t obvious to others. These include things like chronic fatigue, autism, bipolar disorder, PTSD, sensory processing issues, and many long-term physical and mental […]

Body and Mind: When Mental and Physical Health Collide

May 1, 2025.Reading time 5 minutes.

At the Mark Hewitson Foundation, we see it all the time — someone comes to us for support after a traumatic event or diagnosis, but the truth is, they’ve often been holding it together long before things fell apart. We know that mental and physical health don’t live in separate boxes. They are tangled, messy, […]