In July 2022 I was being violently sick and had excruciating head and eye pain, confusion, delirium and vertigo. I thought I had sunstroke as it was the start of the heatwave, but I had contracted Viral Meningitis.  I went to hospital after a doctor came to the house and took one look at me and said I needed to go to hospital. After three days getting more and more delirious I was moved to The Grange University Hospital in Llanfrechfa, Cwmbran and put in an induced coma for 3½ weeks, fighting for my life on a ventilator.

When I came round from the coma I realised I was totally paralysed; my eyeballs couldn’t move and due to the tracheostomy I also had no voice. It was a scary time for me although I hadn't just watched myself - as my family did - go through the toughest stage of my fight.  

Even though it had been nearly a month of touch and go for my family watching me and unsure of when I would wake up and how I would be affected by this situation, it was as if this had happened overnight for me, as I fell asleep with what I assumed was sunstroke and woke up paralysed.

I was in ITU for 94 days before I was finally well enough to come off the ventilator and with the tracheostomy removed eventually I was transferred to the University Hospital Llandough Spinal Injury Centre. The illness attacked my spinal cord and left it with three lesions which are stopping signals from my brain getting to my body.

Help from Aspire

It was whilst in Llandough Spinal Injury Unit that I was introduced to Aspire through two of their Independent Living Advisors, Matt and Drew. Both have spinal cord injuries themselves so they could relate directly to what I was going through and share their knowledge including referring me to further areas of support that Aspire offers.

Initially I was referred to Aspire’s Housing Advice service and it was Frankie who did so much in helping me navigate the system to help me get accommodation suitable for my needs. 

I was living in hospital but I didn’t actually need to be there. I was there because there was no housing.  Without Aspire’s help I possibly wouldn’t even be housed now.

Frankie was amazing, she went above and beyond to secure me a flat and then with any adaptations that needed doing she made sure she followed up with how I was doing and how the housing association was getting on with it. And if they were dragging their feet, she followed up with them as well.

Frankie in turn referred me to Aspire’s Welfare Benefits Advice team who made sure I had everything in place benefit wise ready for discharge from hospital after 18 months. Once discharged Frankie also referred me to Phil, Aspire’s Money Matters Specialist. I don’t know what I would have done without Frankie!

As a full time wheelchair user I haven’t worked since 2022 so I really needed help with finances. Phil has been so helpful making me aware of water and broadband suppliers’ social tariffs and the reduction in council tax for adapted properties. He also recommended that I contact all my utility suppliers and my internet provider to let them know I’m disabled and ask to be on their Priority Services Register, which means I will get extra support in emergencies. I can’t thank him enough for all his help.

So a big thanks to Aspire - as a charity it has helped me so much through its Independent Living, Housing, Benefits and Money Matters services. 

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