Graham Webb MBE
Graham Webb MBE, went from being a 15-year-old drop out to heading a multi million dollar hair care company, battling medical problems he kept secret.
It wasn’t until Graham was 33 that spina bifida occulta (tethered cord syndrome) was finally diagnosed and he finally had some answers about the condition he’d struggled with. Graham, who lives with wife Mandy and their four children in Kent, is a keen supporter of ASBAH’s work.
Here Graham, 59, talks about his life and why he was prompted to write his autobiography.
“I didn’t come from fashionable beginnings. I grew up in South London, which was only a few miles from the heart of London, but light years away from it in style and attitude.
My mother told everybody that I was the healthiest baby around. But the truth was that I had an undiagnosed case of spina bifida and which made my childhood a kind of torture.
At school I was the boy with “funny feet” who had lots of embarrassing accidents. My feet fell outwards and my toes were clawed.
I was incontinent, and it was a kind of shame I carried inside myself, hiding it from my parents as much as possible.
School was an ordeal. Even today one of my vivid memories of childhood is the dread I felt when school uniforms went from winter’s black shorts to the white shorts of spring.
With white shorts it was harder to ignore the constant dribbles and I became adept at pretending that I hadn’t noticed that my shirt tail was hanging out. I learned to carry my satchel in a camouflaging position.
I lived with a kind of shame I kept from everyone. The easiest way for me to deal with it was to keep it a secret.
“When I was 15 my school teachers pronounced me “bone idle” and were more than happy to see me leave.
After school I sent out 62 job application letters for sales jobs and received 62 rejections. The only person who would take me on was a barber who was looking for an apprentice.
I opened my first hairdressing salon in my early twenties but even though my career was taking off, my condition deteriorated.
By my early thirties I owned a string of salons – and it was only then that someone took my problems seriously. I was playing squash with a GP and he noticed that I had to keep stopping to visit the toilet. After the match he said, very nicely, “Do you need to see me professionally?”
He referred me to an urologist at Kings College Hospital, who referred me to a neurologist. I was put through a series of horrific tests before finally being diagnosed with spina bifida occulta. I had the textbook case – a little dimple on my lower back where the neural tube had failed to close properly.
That same year, 1980, I had neurosurgery, but unfortunately it didn’t end my incontinence. Eventually I discovered ASBAH, who gave me some invaluable advice.
Finally, in 1997, eight years after I had launched the Graham Webb hair product line, I found a surgeon who offered to reshape my bladder neck. After the operation I was taught to self-catheterise. It revolutionised my life.
Two years later I had surgery on my feet in America, and after several months “off my feet” and lots of physiotherapy I was at last able to walk more normally.
I will be eternally grateful to several surgeons, including Mr Julian Shah, urologist, who changed my life.
I sold my hair product range to Wella in 2002 – we were number 4 in America at that time – and I am now their Goodwill Ambassador doing meets and greets and book signings. I am also a corporate speaker for all kinds of organisations and companies around the world.
I wrote my autobiography, Out Of The Bottle, because part of me wanted to look back over my shoulder and assess the stumbles and leaps I’ve made in my life.
I hoped my story will help people, not just those with spina bifida, but would-be entrepreneurs too.
The reaction to my book has stunned me. I never for one moment imagined that I would now be on my fourth edition. The book seems to be empowering so many people – not only those with spina bifida – but those facing other challenges. It’s also inspiring would-be entrepreneurs too.”
Graham Webb’s autobiography, Out Of The Bottle, costs £17.99 and is available from his website, www.grahamwebb.co.uk; all the profits go to charity.
Graham Webb will be a speaker at the opening session at the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus 17th International Conference in Helsinki from June 29 – July 2, 2006.
The theme of the conference is ”Access” and the subject will be discussed from different perspectives – physical, attitudinal and medical and from different stages in people’s lives.
A variety of doctors will give lectures on the services they provide for people with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus. Adults and young people with Spina Bifida and/or Hydrocephalus and their families from different countries will also outline their experiences and ideas.
For more information about the International Conference, check out the website www.congrex.fi/sbh2006/