A generous supporter shares her story of what it was like to grow up in the 1950s wetting the bed: 

"My childhood was plagued by bedwetting. It was devastating. I wanted to die every time I woke up in a wet bed. At night I would pray for not wetting the bed. The despair I felt, every time my body let me down yet was overwhelming. My mum couldn't cope and called me a 'blessed nuisance'.  I am a deep sleeper, our huge Victorian house back in the fifties was unheated except for one fire in the living, it was freezing.

I didn't wet the bed every night but maybe three or four times a week. I hid my sheets and tried my best to dry the plastic lining before lying down on it. 

I was teased and bullied

I remember my older sister had to rescue me once when a group of girls was taunting me. I smelt. Even my sisters and brothers at times, in the middle of playing, would threaten to tell any visitors with the cruel words, saying my name: "wets the bed!". Those nasty words in a sing-song voice.  I just wanted to curl up and die. 

The anxiety caused deep depression. All those years! I had no voice, I couldn't defend myself. I had no excuse. 

I want to help ERIC support children and teenagers

I decided to tell my story to explain how cruel this situation can be for a child. I hope this will help parents to never blame a child for wetting the bed. 

When I heard about ERIC in the media, I knew I wanted to help with a donation. I wanted to give children affected by bedwetting a voice. I lived through this torment and survived. Knowing there is an organisation that supports families with children like me is fantastic. This is a cruel medical condition that is often misunderstood. Badly managed, it can bring so much pain to children and affect their mental health. I am delighted to be able to support the ERIC."

Support and information about treating bedwetting