Georgina Colman was 26 years old when she was diagnosed with MS (2003) but it wasn’t until 2016 that her walking started to deteriorate. By 2018, Georgina was adjusting to the fact that she was now disabled. Her life changed, from being a very independent person to having to rely on her husband or friends when I was out and about.
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that attacks the myelin sheath around the nerves and therefore reduces their ability to send messages around the body. It can impact everyone differently, there is no rule really and what happens for one person may never happen to another. For Georgina, it’s mainly her lower body that has been affected and she struggles with movement due to what she refers to as ‘Wonky Feet’ and foot drop.
The Extra Costs of Being Disabled
Living with a disability is really expensive. According to Scope, being disabled costs an average of £1,010 extra a month and Georgina lives and breathes these costs every day. A few years ago she realised that there was no discount program for the disabled community, as there is for other groups such as key workers, students, and carers. This led her to launch Purpl, a discount program designed to help offset the costs of living with a disability.
Introducing Purpl
Purpl Disabled Discounts was launched in July 2024 and they have already partnered with over 200 brands to give their community the chance to offset the cost of living with a disability through discounts on everyday products and services.
To join Purpl, visit Purpl Discounts and register with your proof of disability. They accept government and council documents as well as Access and National Disability ID cards. For more information, you can read their blog post.
My Wonky Feet
Foot drop is a big issue for people with MS, this results in difficulty in lifting the front part of your foot, which means you end up dragging the toes whilst walking. It results from weakness in the foot due to the nerve damage which disrupts the signals between the brain and the muscles. This means people with MS are more likely to trip over their feet and are more prone to falls. Often it can look like you are drunk as your walking becomes uncoordinated and off balance. For Georgina, she uses an assistive technology device that helps lift her toes as she walks - she still has to use walking aids but this does prevent her from tripping over.
The other issue that MS causes is cold feet - this is because circulation can’t pump properly around the body and in particular to lower limbs. Georgina suffers with swollen ankles and feet and has to wear compression socks during the night to help encourage normal flow. She can’t wear them during the day because of the foot drop machine - just another fun part of living with multiple sclerosis.
All of these issues result in Georgina’s poor toes being abused as she often stubs them on things - especially on the stairs as she goes down them because of weak hip flexors, meaning she can’t lift her leg enough to clear the step. Also the lack of movement results in other issues like toes rubbing together a lot which causes infections. Georgina regularly visits a foot clinic but this is expensive and is another additional outlay caused by disability. This is also why we are so excited to be working with Purpl, so their members can get a Cosyfeet discount and save money.
Building a Community
Georgina’s goal with Purpl is to help their community save money, as well as creating a supportive community. To share stories, offer relevant advice and guidance, and give back to disabled charities. Eventually, they hope to create their own foundation to provide grants directly to those in need of extra financial support.
“I may have Wonky Feet but that hasn’t stopped me and never will. My disability led me to create Purpl, and it has given me a way to really make a difference to our disabled community.”
Georgina Colman
Join the Purpl Community
Purpl have a members only Facebook group where you can come and talk to them and discover offers as soon as they go live on their website as well as connecting with other people within the community.
To sign up to Purpl you need to verify your disability status, they accept many different documents including disability benefit letters, blue badge (photo side), disabled bus and train passes, the Access card, CEA card, Disabled ID (DID) Card and more.
