I was injured on 28th November 1997 in an industrial accident in Sheffield and by that same evening I was a patient in the Spinal Injury Centre.

Because I've been injured quite a long time I have lots of lived experience with spinal cord injury and it felt like there was quite a lot of that experience and advice that I could pass on to the newly injured.

I’ve worked at Aspire for 6½ years.  I was already working as a Physical Activity Advisor for WheelPower and a lot of the time patients would ask me questions that were more relevant to Independent Living than sport and activity.  So, when the role as an Independent Living Advisor (ILA) in Sheffield became vacant, it seemed the right time for me to do that role as well, as the roles seemed to complement each other. I go into the Spinal Injury Centre in Sheffield every Thursday. I usually spend 90% of my time on the wards speaking to patients. The unit is split over two floors, so upstairs is where the wards and dining hall is, and downstairs is the main entrance, cafe and therapy rooms.

As the patients typically stay for at least two months you get to know them quite well. So sometimes you're giving specific advice about things like wheelchairs/mobility products, welfare benefits or housing, but often you're having a general catch up too, in terms of how rehabilitation has gone that week, the highs and the lows, offering advice and support with how things are progressing. It can be a very emotionally challenging time for newly injured patients as they've gone through a major life changing event to be there, so it's important to check to see how they're getting on emotionally as much as physically. I like to think I'm as much a friend as an Advisor; part of developing the relationship, is sharing personal experiences and the trials and tribulations of coming to terms with living with a spinal cord injury.

I like to try and offer practical, real world advice to patients, particularly as they're nearing discharge, including certain things I did, and do, post discharge to make the most of my recovery and also day to day things I do now, to make my life easier.

People often ask about benefits, and in particular PIP and Motability. I explain how they can apply and how the benefit works and that they should start applying for it before they get discharged, plus the pros and cons of Motability. They often ask about lightweight wheelchairs too, in terms of how they can go about getting one from their local wheelchair services and also what other options they have, such privately funding one, or using A2W and other grants, including the personal wheelchair allowance.

When I'm not with patients, I'll be catching up with staff at the unit, either in the Physiotherapy and OT departments, or the discharge team, especially if someone has housing issues.

Independent Living

Living with Spinal Cord Injury

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