Service user stories
Jane
After the car crash and hospital, Tony was walking and talking, but he just did not seem right. He seemed to have lost self-awareness, you know, not understanding how his words and behaviour affected other people.
He was constantly on the go one minute and tired at other times. It is really hard to explain, but he just was not Tony. He really wanted to do stuff, but could not concentrate on one thing for very long.
It was hard for both of us to admit this was a real problem and then I heard about Headway.
I persuaded Tony to try what was on offer and found there was even a service for me – a carers support group.
Things are a lot better now. We both understand a bit more about head injuries and can make allowances for each other. Tony has a part time job which is great and we both stay in touch with Headway
Lorraine
I worked at Headway as a support worker and then one day the unimaginable happened. In May 2005 I suffered a stroke. I spent two weeks in hospital before being discharged home. I realised I was no longer able to work or deal with the day to day running of my life or home.
I struggled to process information like reading through my post, booking and remembering appointments and even remembering what was sad during these appointments. I was no longer the confident person I was before and quickly lost my self-esteem – I even felt unable to go out into my own garden.
In October 2005 I started to receive Headway Outreach Support and I began to attend the Day Opportunities Centre. Although I found this an overwhelmingly big step, I soon settled in and found that there are huge benefits from being surrounded by people who have experienced similar situations to me. By simply talking to others and by being trusted by the support staff, I found that over time I was slowly beginning to become more confident.
Jenny
I was in and out of hospital for two years trying to recover from two brain haemorrhages and a stroke, before considering facing life in the community again. I felt lost and bewildered and very uncertain as to what the future might hold for me.
Before my illness I had been an active person who enjoyed living in the countryside. I worked at a petrol station and I was married with four grown up children. When I was discharged I was unable to go back to my life and was temporarily housed in a home for the elderly. I felt like I didn’t fit in. I shared communal meals and had very little independence.
I was re-housed in February 2003 and I now live in a sheltered housing scheme in Worcester. It offers me the peace of mind that I need to be able to enjoy my life but also offers me independence. The Headway Outreach team support me with every-day tasks such as post, finance, social and emotional support and increasing my confidence. I also attend the day opportunities centre and love it – I particularly enjoy the art class that they run. My confidence has grown so much I now contribute to the Tenant’s Association meetings as a service user representative.
Jenny feels without Headway “she would be stuck” and offers the following advice to anyone who has had a head injury; don’t panic. Headway is there for you.
Andrew
I was just 12 months old when I had my head injury. I was born with a brain tumour and suffered from epileptic fits. I take medication to prevent my fits but I have memory problems and need support to remember to take it. I had my tumour removed when I was 14 (way back in 1975) and I always struggled at school; I had a couple of good friends but I got bullied too and coped much better when I moved to a school that understood more about my needs.
I always lived with my mum and have relied on my mum for much of my life – she has been there through everything. Now I also receive support from Headway and I go to the Day Centre in Bromsgrove and Stourport for a couple of days a week and I volunteer at the Headway Charity Shop in Worcester too. It gives me a chance to meet new people and talk to people – the last charity shop I worked at I was made to work around the back, hidden away but the Headway Charity Shop Manager, Mo, said she would like me to work out at the front of the shop and speak to people. Because I like routine, Mo has given me jobs to do every week – one of my jobs is to sort out the games and puzzles. Headway has also supported me by giving me travel training to build my confidence to use public transport and now I am confident enough to get to the shop on my own on the bus. This was a giant step forward for me.
Headway is really important to me. I would be back to square one without it – I feel much more positive and confident since they became involved in my life.
Daniel
I had my brain injury in 2005. I was in a car crash when I was 19 on my way to the football. I was in a coma for six weeks. I can remember what my life was like before my brain injury but my memory has been really affected – I can’t remember the crash at all and I’m really forgetful now. I used to be a maintenance engineer but I can’t work anymore and it’s really boring not being able to go to work.
I wake up really early (around 5am) and can’t ever lie-in but I feel tired all the time. I feel like everyone in the world is normal, but I’m not as there are things I can’t do anymore.
I have had support from Headway to rebuild my life. Now I go to college and I have started a healthy living course, I go to the gym and enjoy seeing my friends. I drink a lot more alcohol now than I did before my accident and Headway supports me to budget my money every day to help control this.
I am really lucky that I still have great friends who have supported me throughout my rehabilitation and I have a very positive outlook on my life ahead of me. I know that having a brain injury has its own set of problems but ‘normal’ people have problems too. My motto is ‘get off the bench, live for the moment’.