People find meaning and redemption in the most unusual human connections.

Qualities you need to get through medical school and residency: Discipline. Patience. Perseverance. A willingness to forgo sleep. A penchant for sadomasochism. Ability to weather crises of faith and self-confidence. Accept exhaustion as fact of life. Addiction to caffeine a definite plus. Unfailing optimism that the end is in sight.

Everyone is an ocean inside. Every individual walking the street. Everyone is a universe of thoughts, and insights, and feelings. But every person is crippled in his or her own way by our inability to truly present ourselves to the world.

Nothing happens in a vacuum in life: every action has a series of consequences, and sometimes it takes a long time to fully understand the consequences of our actions.

I always tell myself that nothing ever is worth holding onto if it hurt you, because the longer you hold onto anger and resentment, the longer you feed it and keep it alive.

What is kindness? For me, it is about treating people how you would want to be treated – but, with so many of us living out our lives on social media, it can be harder and harder to show compassion to those around us.

Always, always, always pass a good book along on to somebody else.

It can be embarrassing paying someone a compliment, but, in the modern world, these don't even have to be done out loud. When you're scrolling in the morning on Instagram, don't just like someone's photo, but make a point of going into the comments section and write down one nice thing that you see or feel about that picture.

My feminist icon is Michelle Obama. To me she represents the definition of a strong and intelligent woman who has used her platform for so much good.

As well as being my doctor, Mohammad Jawad is so kind and caring and we have a father/daughter relationship. When I left hospital he found out about a revolutionary rehab centre in the south of France and spent his August bank holiday taking me there in 2008 to see it - such a happy time.

I've got a shadow on the lung as a result of being in intensive care, so I find running quite hard. I breathe mainly through my mouth because my nose is damaged, so I keep swallowing flies.

I have been the beneficiary of donations in the form of human tissue and of a cornea which gave me sight when otherwise I would have none.

It shouldn't be down to charities to be the sole help for those who fall through the cracks.

The trial of Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius has kept me fascinated and shocked in equal measure. But like many women, I was relieved this week when he was found guilty of culpable homicide after killing his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.

I know how hard it is to be bullied about a part of yourself that you can't change, or just because of who you are. It can turn you into an angry and bitter person.

I meet many inspiring individuals who have worked hard to rebuild their lives after an attack; however, it can be hard to stay motivated when the justice system does not always reflect the severity of these crimes.

Since the attack I have undergone over 250 operations to improve my physical functioning.

I'm so lucky that I've always been able to laugh about things, even at my very lowest times.

If I'm not blessed with children of my own then I'd like to adopt one day - possibly a child from Pakistan.

Of course, I'd like to fall in love and get married one day - my brother has just got engaged and I'm thrilled for him - but I'm not obsessing about meeting someone.

I am who I am and I don't pretend not to be single or burned. And men might not fancy me because I'm too short or too thin.

I had such a nurturing team of midwives looking after me with my first little girl, and their support gave me so much confidence as a mother.

I did weightlifting and bodyweight-focused exercises such as chin-ups, pull-ups and press-ups with my personal trainer.

I don't think many people stare at people in wheelchairs because we see it regularly. I suppose if you see more in the media it will take away the curiosity.