“At Last, I Can Live My Life”: Nicky Mercer’s Journey from Restrictions to Rights

For most of her adult life, Nicky Mercer wasn’t allowed to decide how to spend her own money. She wasn’t allowed to carry her own bank card. Even her cigarettes were rationed, five in the morning, five in the afternoon, kept locked away in a room she wasn’t allowed to access. 

“I felt sad, angry. I couldn’t live my life the way I wanted to,” says Nicky. “I felt like a child back at school.” 

Nicky’s story is a powerful example of how everyday freedoms, like choosing what to buy, where to go, or simply who to talk to, can be quietly stripped away under the guise of protection. For years, well-intentioned restrictions meant to keep her safe ended up leaving her disempowered and afraid to speak up. 

But things changed when Real Life Options took over her support in 2021. 

Lynn Jack, the Service Manager who reviewed Nicky’s care, saw instantly that something wasn’t right. 

“When I looked through the support plans, it was clear Nicky wasn’t being supported to make her own decisions,” says Lynn. “We started having honest conversations with the team, especially Ally, who’s supported Nicky for over 20 years, and worked together to challenge what had been accepted as normal.” 

Ally Huggan had long been frustrated by the culture of control. “She was told how many fizzy drinks she could have, what she could eat, who she could talk to. They even said she would never be allowed to have a boyfriend. Nicky had capacity, so why weren’t her rights being respected?” 

It wasn’t just about money and cigarettes. Nicky couldn’t enter certain rooms in her own home. She wasn’t involved in decisions that affected her daily life. Over time, she had learned not to ask questions. 

Through patient conversations, team meetings, and practical planning, Lynn and Ally worked with Nicky to build new habits, like tracking her weekly spending with a trusted staff member, and made small but meaningful changes, such as unlocking the spare room so Nicky and her cat could go in and out freely. 

One breakthrough moment came when Nicky and her friends went to a local music festival together for the first time, with just the right level of support in the background. “Seeing them chatting, dancing, and making memories was amazing,” Lynn says. “That’s what life should be.” 

Today, Nicky says she feels “good, happy, more confident.” She’s taken part in recruiting her own support staff and has a clearer sense of who she is and what she wants. “I have more choice and control now. I can do what I want at last and not be scared.” 

Her message to others in similar situations is simple: speak up. “Talk to someone you trust. If no one listens, go higher. Talk to the Care Inspectorate. You have rights.” 

Ally agrees. “It took years, but now Nicky is finally being listened to. And she’s not just speaking up for herself—she’s speaking up for others too.”