Jason’s life story interview

INTERVIEWER:  What is your earliest memory, Jason would you say?

JASON: I would say my earliest memory was to be given a second chance to live, because I almost died twice.

INTERVIEWER: When, like-

JASON: When I was born.

INTERVIEWER: Okay.

JASON: I was in an incubator, and my chances were very slim, don’t know. Thank the Lord up there, he brought me back and I was able to get well and get me time and then- grew up then. So, yeah, I got a lot to be grateful for.

INTERVIEWER: It sounds it. Where did you live as a child growing up?

JASON: I was born in – I was born in Penzance, but I grew up in St John’s in a house that we bought. And when I was 8 years-old we moved over to Newland, which is next to Mansel and I lived there for a long time for quite a few years. And then I went into Mencap in Penzance where I stayed with them for two years.

INTERVIEWER: OK So what was your house like- your first house like, do you remember what it was like?

JASON: It was quite cold actually. It wasn’t very warm at all. It was like sort of – Very old, very rustic and stuff.

INTERVIEWER: It’s not nice.

Jason: It was very, very, sort of – Not very homely, you know, It was – it was quite a strange place to live in – a strange house.

INTERVIEWER: It was a strange house?

JASON: Yeah. Very.

INTERVIEWER: OK.

JASON: Yeah. It was quite old.

INTERVIEWER: Who did you live with?

JASON: My parents, my brother and sister.

INTERVIEWER: And your brother and sister?

JASON: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Are you the oldest out of your siblings?

JASON: I am – I am the baby- I’m the middle-un.

INTERVIEWER: You’re the middle child?

JASON: Of my brother and sister. I’m 50 – I’m 55, so I’m the youngest.

INTERVIEWER: OK.

JASON: They’re older than me. They’re older.

INTERVIEWER: Tell me about your family if you don’t mind.

JASON: My – Well, my dad was a great influence on me. He, you know, he was huge, and he was the life and soul of us.

INTERVIEWER: What did your parents do for work as you were growing up?

JASON: My mum was CPN Nurse and my dad was a miner, and my dad worked in the mine for ten years. Got covered in coal with dust and everything else.

INTERVIEWER: Is that a memory for you?

JASON: Yeah it did.

INTERVIEWER: like the smell and the dirt-

JASON: Yeah. I Remember him coming back looking really dirty after work.

INTERVIEWER: Did you find it quite funny?

JASON: Had to go in the shower and get clean and everything. Mum was a nurse, she did CPN in old people’s homes and a hospital. She’d done it for quite a few years and two I think twelve months. She was working on the wards and stuff and Sister – Ward Sister in the hospital.

INTERVIEWER:  Obviously as a young child – And you were saying a bit about that – you had, an early thing where you could’ve died. Do you mind talking about that and elaborating what was the cause or anything?

JASON: I guess it was just an illness. I guess that the doctors thought it was serious enough for me –

INTERVIEWER: To be-

JASON: To not to make it. Yeah

INTERVIEWER: Do you remember what the illness was?

JASON: No, I don’t.

INTERVIEWER: No, no.

JASON: I remember around this time that I was lucky to live.

INTERVIEWER: Did you know that through your early years, like at primary school or a young age? How – When did you find out about this? How old were you?

JASON: My mum told me ….

INTERVIEWER: When you were…?

JASON: …when I was quite young.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Do you remember the age?

JASON: Six, Seven, maybe.

INTERVIEWER: How did that make you feel at that time?

JASON: Pretty awful. I thought, ‘what the hell’s going on? What do you mean, I died twice in an incubator? ‘Couldn’t believe it.

INTERVIEWER: It was a shock.

JASON: It was a very big shock. And – and Yeah, it was something that hit me really hard, that to me. It was quite horrible. I wouldn’t have even imagined that years ago.

INTERVIEWER: How did it impact your mum and dad? Obviously it’s going to be a scary thing for them.

JASON: Well, they were in shock over this thing. They were shocked that I could have- could have died. They weren’t very pleased about it I’m sure –

INTERVIEWER: No. Did they tell you how they felt at the time they were speaking to you about the time of your birth?

JASON: Well…

INTERVIEWER:  Did they let you know they made them feel?

JASON: They felt responsible, I guess is the word. They felt responsible for me and wanting to give me the best chance of surviving.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah (clears throat)

JASON: Especially mum. Because I was given to her by God. So, obviously she would have wanted me like survive and pull through and things, dad would stay and-

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

JASON: Both of them wanted what was the right thing for me.

INTERVIEWER: Were you closer to- obviously you love your parents. Were you closer to one than the other or everyone?

JASON: I was closer to Dad more than my mum. My dad had a huge influence on my life.

INTERVIEWER: That’s nice.

JASON: Massive. And not to say that mum [was] not part of it because she was a huge part but my dad kind of – took the sort of a dad/son relationship, my dad. Mum was sort of in the background doing what she normally does, being a mum.

INTERVIEWER: So how did your dad influence you? What, was the influence that you looked up to him about?

JASON :Well, I was proud that he was an actor.

INTERVIEWER: An actor?

JASON: Yeah. I was proud that he was a miner and I was proud of him in general. Just like every son should be of a parent. You know, I just though the world of him. Yeah, I’ve never looked back really.

INTERVIEWER: That’s lovely,

INTERVIEWER: Do you have memories, like, did you go on family holidays?

JASON: Oh, yes, all over the place.

INTERVIEWER: Where did you – could you tell me a bit about some of the places you been?

JASON: Butlins, Minehead.

INTERVIEWER: I’ve been to Butlins.

JASON: Skegness.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

JASON: Went away to Belgium. And then to Normandy in France, and stuff. And we, like, went on holiday to the Isles of Scilly and stuff.

SUPPORT WORKER: Who did you go to Norway with?

JASON: My dad.

SUPPORT WORKER: Yes, [in] Norway.

JASON: My dad went-

SUPPORT WORKER: And Greece?

JASON: Pardon?

SUPPORT WORKER: Greece.

JASON: Oh, that was with a friend, my friend of my family. They wanted to go to Greece so I joined them.

INTERVIEWER: So, when you went to Norway, was it? Did you see the Northern Lights with your dad?

JASON: No.

INTERVIEWER: No, you didn’t-

JASON: Missed them.

INTERVIEWER: Oh. That’s a shame. That would’ve been a great memory too.

JASON: I’ve also wanted to see them ever since I was young.

SUPPORT WORKER: Do you know what? Sometimes you can see them here.

JASON: Yeah. They’re very rare.

SUPPORT WORKER: A few months ago.

JASON: Yeah.

SUPPORT WORKER: I didn’t see them.

JASON: No, I didn’t. I was probably in bed.

INTERVIEWER: Obviously you said you’ve been abroad. Have you ever learned any new languages or anything over the –

JASON: Well, I haven’t as such but I like French and German.

INTERVIEWER: OK.

JASON: I like…I like a bit of French and a bit of German and a bit of Norwegian, it’s quite a nice thing.  And then and stuff. Yeah, well, I’m not very big on foreign languages. I’m more sort of – they’ve got their culture and I’ve got my culture.

INTERVIEWER: But you like to see different cultures?

JASON: Yeah. Exactly.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

JASON: That’s always a nice thing to do.

INTERVIEWER: What does your dream life look like when you were growing up? What did you want to do with your life?

JASON: I wanted to be a fireman.

INTERVIEWER: I see you have a fireman hat with you here.

JASON: Devon and Cornwall.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah. Would you like to tell me a bit about that?

JASON: This was given to me at a fire station Open Day in Helston a few weeks ago…-

SUPPORT WORKER: July.

JASON: July and… it was given to me for [my] belated birthday present, by the fire service.

INTERVIEWER: That’s nice.

JASON: And I’ve been friends with them ever since I was about 8 or 9. And because my grandad was a fireman during the war, during the Blitz in London, I kind of fell in love with them. and I’ve bought books, DVDs on them, watch films about them, all that kind of stuff.

INTERVIEWER: Did you ever meet your grandad as you were growing up?

JASON: I did, quite a lot. Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: You did? Yeah.

JASON: I did, yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So he played a part of your life as well obviously because you wanted to be a fireman and…?

JASON: Yeah. And I was 19 when I signed in that I wanted to join… and…I’ve been- I’ve loved it ever since. It’s like a hobby really, I suppose at the end of the day. I collect books and pictures, photos and things of various things to do with being a fireman, and stuff and uniforms and that kind of thing. It’s memorabilia.

INTERVIEWER: OK, so you would have wanted to be a fireman but obviously the disability has impacted that.

JASON: Yes, in a great big way. Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: How have you changed – with the disability, knowing and you can’t do that, have you changed your goals in life, like other things you’d like to do personally?

JASON: Well, my ultimate goal- my ultimate goal is settle down and have a wife and get married. That’s my ultimate goal.

INTERVIEWER: Goal. Yeah, to have a family maybe?

JASON: To- No, not to have a family but being with someone. Like to have –

INTERVIEWER: Friendships?

JASON: That. Friendship and…-

INTERVIEWER: Companionship.

JASON: Exactly.

INTERVIEWER: That’s a family. If you get married, that’s what we call family. That’s your immediate family. That’s you and your wife. It doesn’t mean that you have to have children.

JASON: No.

INTERVIEWER: That’s just…Families.

INTERVIEWER: So obviously, you live on your own. Do you like watching movies or doing jigsaws or reading?

JASON: Yeah, I don’t mind.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah?

JASON: Yeah, it’s alright. Don’t mind that.

INTERVIEWER: So what is your favourite film?

JASON: My favourite film is Top Gun.

INTERVIEWER: Top Gun.

JASON: Tom Cruise.

INTERVIEWER: Tom Cruise, yeah. Have you seen the new one?

JASON: I have and I didn’t like it much. The first one was better.

INTERVIEWER: It’s always down to that when the first one you ever watch the original and when they start making series and…

JASON: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Sometimes, they’re not as good.

JASON: No.

INTERVIEWER: So, what books do you read? What kind of books?

JASON: Fire engine books mainly.

INTERVIEWER: So, what do you do in your downtime at home? Is it just watching TV or do you do other things?

JASON: Mainly just chill out and play music.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah?

SUPPORT WORKER: You got a tablet.

JASON: Yeah. I watch a lot of programs and things.

SUPPORT WORKER: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: Yeah.

SUPPORT WORKER: And you use it for different things.

INTERVIEWER: What music are you into? What’s your favourite kind of music?

JASON: I would have to say when I was growing up, it was seventies, eighties. Pretty good bands back then. Like ABBA, U2, all that kind of thing. Queen.

INTERVIEWER: Do you remember your first album that you bought?

JASON: No, I don’t actually, because I don’t buy records.

INTERVIEWER: No?

JASON: No.

SUPPORT WORKER: He’s got Alexa.

INTERVIEWER: OK.

JASON: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So, what’s the favourite album of your music, like you were talking about Queen, you like that? You must have a favourite person/artist?

JASON: I’d probably have to say that my favourite sort of relaxing music is…I like a lot of Clannad, and Enya, and Enigma. They’re good. They’re very Celtic and all that kind of thing.

INTERVIEWER: So, before you got Alexa, how did you listen to music at an early age?

JASON: Oh, I’ve got a stereo.

INTERVIEWER: Ah, you had a stereo. Did you- Was it a tape deck stereo or Walkman kind of thing?

JASON: CD.

INTERVIEWER: Oh, you had a CD?

JASON: Yeah.

INTERVIEWER: So, what – Do you remember the first CD you bought?

JASON: I haven’t got the foggiest. I can’t remember what it would have been. I haven’t got a clue.

INTERVIEWER: Well, thank you for sharing your story with us. How do you feel now about getting older in life? How does that make you feel?

JASON: I’m not really bothered to be honest. If you want my honest opinion, what will be, will be.

INTERVIEWER: Will be, that’s how you look at it.

JASON: I’m not really worried about it.

INTERVIEWER: Getting older, no. And, with your disability, you’ve obviously overcame the hurdles and stuff. and you’ve learned to live with it, haven’t you, very well?

JASON: Yeah, I have.

INTERVIEWER: It was really nice to hear your story, Jason. And I hope life treats you well in the future.

JASON: Thank you, you’re very kind.