A TERMINALLY ill Scot given a year to live by doctors has described how getting involved in the Yes campaign prolonged her life. Lindsay Jarrett, 44, was told she was unlikely to be around for any longer than 12 months when she was diagnosed in 2008 as being at an advanced and incurable stage of a genetic disease which had left her liver and lungs irreparably damaged.But the mother-of-five, from Kinlochleven, stopped medical treatment and found a new will to live by joining the battle for Scottish independence.
During last year’s campaign the former police inspector used her skills and expertise as an experienced climber to put up pro-independence signs across the country.Her most audacious feat was to scale more than 100 feet up the cliffs of Edinburgh Castle to fasten a huge Yes banner to the rocks for everyone in the capital to see. Her lungs were so poor at the time that she had to carry a tank of oxygen to breathe.“There is no doubt getting involved in the Yes campaign helped me live longer and improved my quality of life. Mental strength is very important to anyone who has a terminal illness and people often underestimate that,” she told The National.
“What I am fighting for is what I leave behind for my children. My dream is for an independent socialist Scotland and from that perspective the more I can do towards that the better my children’s lives will be when I’m not here.”Lindsay was born with the condition Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT), a life-limiting illness affecting the lungs which has similar symptoms to cystic fibrosis.
AAT is an enzyme produced in the liver to help protect the body during infections and a reduction of it in the bloodstream can lead to lung damage. Lindsay has no AAT in her blood and because her lungs currently only have 19 per cent capacity of what she’d have without her condition she has to carry an oxygen bottle around with her at all times.
But the disease went undiagnosed for most of her life and doctors and her family believed she just suffered from severe asthma.It was only after the birth of her youngest child, Findlay, in 2008, that doctors identified what was wrong after her health severely deteriorated and she found herself unable to walk and lift a bag at the same time.By the time a diagnosis was made the condition had reached an advanced stage and Lindsay was told only a liver and double lung transplant would allow her to survive.But as she was so ill doctors believed her body would not be strong enough to endure such major operations and she was instead swiftly referred to the Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow.There Lindsay made memory boxes for her children and she and her husband received counselling about accepting she only had a short time to live. Lindsay was also supported by palliative care.
But the stress of the situation put unbearable pressure on her marriage, which broke down as a result.Then Lindsay, who is mother to Ciara, 26, Jemma, 18, Mia, 11, Rory, eight and Findlay, seven, and also has a grand-daughter Lola, five months, took some of the younger members of the family to Belfast where she was put on a trial for a new treatment drug at the City Hospital.However, it made her feel very poorly and after a year she stopped it and returned to Scotland. Once home she embarked on a climbing tour round Britain to raise awareness about Alpha-1, and also began getting involved in the Yes campaign.On climbs she swapped the oxygen bottle for a smaller battery-powered device called an oxygen concentrator which provides on-demand pulses of oxygen concentrated from the air.“I felt so ghastly after getting back from Belfast that I decided to come off the medication. When I came back it was the start of the independence campaign. Independence was something I had long hoped and dreamed for, so whenever I was home from the climbing tour I would hang out flags and put up Yes signs on bridges and quarries.“Then I thought I’d round the climbing tour off with putting the banner on Edinburgh Castle. It seemed to combine my love of climbing with my passion for Scottish independence.”
She added: “I started the climb about 4am and got up as far as I possibly could, which was about 140 feet up, where I took out the foil banner and fastened it to the rocks’ mesh using cable ties.“It was dark and while I had a head torch on I had to be very careful. There were trains below me and soldiers above me. Whenever a train passed I pressed myself really close into the side of the rocks.”
Today Lindsay’s condition has deteriorated. She has had to give up her beloved climbing and has to use a wheelchair. She requires help with everyday activities such as washing and dressing.She does not qualify for free personal care as she is under 65, but around 10 friends she has met through the Yes campaign take it in turns to help her.“I call them my Yes family. I didn’t know any of them before the campaign, but now I rely on them for a huge amount of support. They piggy back me up my stairs and help me wash and shower. I don’t know where I would be without them.”Lindsay told her story as she prepares to set up the Lindsay Jarrett Foundation to raise money for a van which can transport her and her children, provide financial support for her children after her passing and raise money for research into Alpha 1.
She does not know how long she has, but her approach is to take one day at a time – and maybe live long enough for a second independence referendum.“I thought I wouldn’t see my little boy start school, but I did, and I thought I wouldn’t live long enough to see my grand-daughter – but I did that too,” Lindsay said. “The other day one of my Yes friends said he was breaking his heart because I may never see an independent Scotland but, you never know, I may still be here in 2018 – when we’ll go for it again I hope.”
Blair Jenkins, former chief executive of the Yes campaign, said: “Lindsay’s story is remarkable and inspiring. It is fantastic she gave so much to the campaign and got so much out of it.”John Finnie, the independent MSP whose Highlands and Islands region includes Kinlochleven and who will top the Greens’ regional list at the Holyrood election next year, said: “I’m in awe of Lindsay’s optimism and determination to live her life to the full despite her illness.“The Yes campaign was built by the hope and effort of many thousands of ordinary Scots, but it’s hard to imagine that anyone gave more than Lindsay.“Her story is an inspiration to all of us never to give up the fight, even when it seems the odds are stacked against us.”
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