SNN_Story_A Demanding and Rewarding Journey

NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST
A Demanding and
Rewarding Journey
Q and A with Deb Le Cren on how the
NZST helped Andrew get back to work
Deb Le Cren
Vocational Consultant
Andrew is proud to have made a full recovery and returned to his role as CEO of Recreation Aotearoa—credit Shane Boulton / ACC.
When Andrew Leslie first arrived at the
Burwood Spinal Unit in Christchurch, he
wrote down a number of goals for his
rehabilitation. He focused on what he could
do physically, how he would get back to work
and how he would return home to play an
active role in his family’s life.
Andrew was paralysed from his mountain-biking
accident so they all felt like pipe dreams. But he chipped
away at them one day at a time and never gave up. He has
achieved everything he set his mind to.
The NZ Spinal Trust (NZST) team played a leading role in
Andrew’s rehabilitation. We caught up with NZST
Vocational Consultant Deb Le Cren on how the Trust
helped Andrew get back on his feet and get his head
around returning to work and home. It was a demanding
and rewarding journey.
Today Andrew is back working full-time as the Chief
Executive of Recreation Aotearoa.
—Deb Le Cren
It’s impressive how quickly
Andrew returned to work
which is a testament to his
determination and drive.
What was Andrew like to work with? What were some
of his goals when he first arrived at the Burwood
Spinal Unit with a broken neck?
Andrew was really good to work with because he had such
a positive attitude to his rehabilitation. He is a goal
focused person in his life, work, sport and family. His
initial goals were to walk and to get more function in his
hands. I met Andrew first via phone as he had his accident
during lockdown and after only three weeks of rehab, he
was already starting to walk using aids.

SPINAL NETWORK NEWS
How has the NZ Spinal Trust supported Andrew in his
rehabilitation?
The Trust provided Andrew with a range of support along
his journey. For me specifically in vocational
rehabilitation, we supported him by being there for
regular discussions with him about his return-to-work
goals and supporting his thinking.
During his recovery, how big was his motivation to get
back to work?
It was massive. Andrew was always focused on returning
to work and he was in regular contact with his team
during his inpatient stay. The support offered through the
vocational service was to provide a sounding board for
him to talk through his return-to-work ideas and to assist
him with creating a timetable so he could begin doing
some work during his stay in Transitional Rehab (TR). We
also discussed managing his energy levels, taking heed of
fatigue and adopting a flexible attitude to move work to
another part of the day or week to compensate if needed.
Andrew talked through the set-up in his home office,
using voice-activated software and the ongoing support
that ACC can provide with return-to-work planning.
Andrew’s success is not the case for everyone, why
was he so successful in his rehab?
It’s impressive how quickly Andrew returned to work
which is a testament to his determination and drive and
possibly also his sense of responsibility to his team and
more importantly, his family.
Andrew commented that: “Being back at home is very
different than being in the hospital and highlights how
valuable TR is and the advice/support from Deb Le Cren
and the Spinal Trust. It requires a lot of self-motivation
and organisation to continue to progress recovery from
the injury and return to a normal life, including work. I
have self-motivation, but it would be difficult for those
that don’t”.
We are proud that we have been able to make a difference
in his recovery and it was awesome to see Andrew back to
work and living independently less than one year after his
accident.
How does returning to work help an individual from a
mindset point of view?
Getting back to work is usually important for people’s
self-esteem, independence and part of their returning to
life as ‘normal’. For those not on ACC funding, getting
back to work is often a financial imperative.
What advice do you offer to others who have sustained
an SCI and are looking at getting back into work?
It’s useful for people who are looking to get back into the
workforce to get support from a vocational consultant
who can help them identify their transferrable skills,
values and motivators before they start to look for work
and also review their CV and give them coaching in
interview skills and job search. It is scary at first but
talking to someone can really help and the benefits of
getting back into the workforce and being independent
once again are huge for the person and their family.
Andrew says it was scary being told by the doctors that he was a tetraplegic.
“It’s never too late to be what you
might have been.” George Elliot.
The guiding principles for the NZST’s Vocational
Rehabilitation Service are:
• Everyone can have a great job
• It’s healthy to be working
• The sooner the better
• There are thousands of work opportunities
• Personal networks are the key
• The process for getting a job is the same as before
• You can do it yourself – whatever it takes!
• Your life experiences give you unique qualifications
What is Vocational Rehabilitation?
The vocational rehabilitation programme is an early
intervention and restorative vocational rehabilitation
program that provides detailed career advice and
planning, educational support and works to reduce the fear
of work and remove barriers. The vocational rehab team
are dedicated to getting people who have a spinal cord
injury or acquired illness into meaningful and sustainable
employment. Services delivered are specialist work
support, both to acute patients and community clients.
The NZ Spinal Trust’s specialist vocational rehabilitation
programme is based at the Burwood and Auckland
Spinal units and also provides services at Middlemore
Hospital.
For more information visit
https://www.nzspinaltrust.org.nz/new-to-sci/
vocational-rehabilitation-service/