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NEW ZEALAND SPINAL TRUST 28 Back then the philosophy was you take away the choices for the person because the specialist knew best. Your recovery was taken over by the specialist and I think there is a lot of merit in that method. I know it is not the politically correct way that we rehabilitate people now. Times change. Was there a turning point in your mindset in your recovery? When I broke my neck—and I am now ashamed to say this—for probably 10 years I didn’t want to be associated with any other people who had injuries. I was able-bodied and as far as I was concerned, I was an able-bodied person who was temporarily sitting down. That was the way I saw it. I didn’t want to associate with anyone in a wheelchair because I think that reminded me that I was also in a wheelchair, and it was quite confronting. ‘Staffy’ came along, and him and a few others from different backgrounds and they were lovely people. They were coarse and they were exhilarating. That was a turning point. I realised I needed to accept my reality. They introduced me to wheelchair rugby, and I loved being back in a competitive environment. I loved the camaraderie and being back with the lads. How did getting back into sport help? ‘Staffy’ got me into wheelchair rugby around 1992. I played for the Wellington team and that got me into meeting people and seeing that I had had a privileged support network that many others didn’t have. It was around that time I also realised that I had a voice and that I could express my opinions and that is really important—you need to be able to speak up. That is why I got involved with the NZ Spinal Trust. I wanted to make a difference for others. It is important there is no monetary interest in it whatsoever. You have to be involved for the right reasons. I feel I gain personally from my involvement with the Trust, enjoying working with truly dedicated people, and proud of the help it gives to others. In terms of life since your injury, what happened? After school I worked for two years in oil exploration in Taranaki, down south in Tuatapere, and down the East Coast of the South Island. I was involved in surveying and doing some large projects. When I broke my neck, I couldn’t do that work anymore which was difficult. So, I left that and did a Mathematics and Computer Science Degree at Massey University in Palmerston North. It was back in the day when I was the only wheelchair on campus. I had to fight to make it possible. I left hospital and I went back to university the next year. I did almost a full year of papers. A lot of people told me to ease into it however I wanted to do more. I am glad I did that as it challenged me and taught me to set the bar high. After I finished my degree and I moved to Wellington, I put a lot of thought into my approach to a career, working out what was important, what I wanted to do with my life, what I wanted to achieve. A first ambition was to maximise earnings because I realised that my life as a tetraplegic and trying to do the things I wanted to do, was going to be expensive. —Bob Symon They were coarse and they were exhilarating. That was a turning point in my recovery. How did you begin your career? I joined BP as a graduate and got to travel a fair bit with them, a good opportunity to see how I could work as a disabled person in a corporate in increasingly demanding roles. I worked in a few different areas within their Technology division. After a few years I went contracting and working for EDS (Environmental Defence Society), who contracted me to work on other organisations' systems. I became a specialist in mission critical and highly available systems. Then I worked for the ANZ Bank which has one of the largest IT networks in New Zealand. I varied in roles from assembler coding, application coding, to operations, to hardware infrastructure build and design and project management. As a tetraplegic I was organising and developing the machines and their environments. I have had a lot of different management roles. Over the years what I have really enjoyed is the diversity in organisations and the importance of corporate responsibility. It is something I am passionate about as a person with a spinal cord impairment to ensure that there is diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I have done a fair amount of work fighting for that and lobbying within my own organisation and others. How about your personal life and starting a family? After I broke my neck, and I came to Wellington it was all quite raw. In my personal life I had a girlfriend who got me through life at that stage. From being a walker to an established tetraplegic. Then our paths went in different directions. A year later I met Janet and fell in love and got married. We have two children Charlie and George. As a family, we have travelled extensively, something I have always loved doing. My eldest son Charlie is a year beyond the point when I broke my neck and doing a Bachelor’s in Surveying at Otago which has me grinning with pride. After struggling to figure out what he wanted to do he ended up going down the same path as his old man. George is year 12 at school, nailing drama and the arts. What advice do you offer to other people who have sustained an SCI and are at the start of their journey? Don’t think in terms of what you can’t do. Think in terms of what you want to do, and talk it out with family, friends and colleagues to plan how to do it. Sometimes things don’t work out, accept that, move on and look ahead. Be kind and generous, you will never cease to be surprised how it comes back to you.
SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 29 Telling it like it is Teina Boyd, a former patient of the Burwood Spinal Unit, describes in detail the pressure that a shortage of carers is having on her health What day is this? Day three stuck in my wheelchair with no carer? Starting to get risky now. —Teina Boyd “No carer again Mum?” Turning in surprise, I reactively lift my arm for him to stoop under…” Hey bub… you’re home early. How was your day?” “Good,” he stoops down to hug me. “Is it just us again tonight?” I nod as he stands up. “Are you okay?” “Yeah of course, small things to giants, right?” SMILE OF COURAGE: Teina Boyd has a great fighting spirit. Teina Boyd was a patient in the Burwood Spinal Unit seven years ago. The Cantabrian was a recruit for the New Zealand Police when she fractured her neck at the C5 vertebrae. It changed her life in a moment. Her honest reflections give us a real insight to living life with a spinal cord impairment. Damn it. I know my new carer is scared to drive in the rain. After crashing last week, I should’ve known she’d be too scared to drive in this storm. Here we go again, another night trying to sleep in my wheelchair. Another night of no bowel cares or stretches. Another night of extra painkillers to make sure I don’t go dysreflexic. Another night trying to reassure bub that I’m fine. And then looking down I realise… I’m going to have to go to work in the morning wearing what I’ve got on now. Grey trackpants and a hoodie. With little margaritas all over it. Uuuuuugh…I let my forehead hit the table in front of me. “Yeah. I guess so… But it’s still crap for you. Want a coffee?” Laughing, I accept his offer, knowing full well that he’s buttering me up for Uber eats and a sleepover later on. We chat about family while he makes us hot drinks, then he heads off to the other end of the house to get changed, leaving me with my thoughts. What day is this now… Day three stuck in my wheelchair with no carer? It’s starting to get a little risky now. My body really needs to go to the toilet and get some pressure relief. I might have to swallow my pride and call one of the other girls. But who? Grace’s arm is injured, Eden has already done me so many favours lately… I know she’s exhausted. And that’s it. I have two people and my teenage son making up my 24-hour care team. I know my family would be here in a heartbeat but as much as I would love that, there’s no point. The help I need is specialised, and takes a lot of training to do without hurting me. My girls are more knowledgeable about my body and its complications than any public hospital nurse. There is an ignorant perception of them being “just a carer”. To me
Page 1 and 2: August 2022 Volume 25 / Issue 2 Te
Page 3 and 4: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 3 Leaving a Leg
Page 5 and 6: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 5 Supporting Po
Page 7 and 8: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 7 Putting His H
Page 9 and 10: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 9 SpeediCath ®
Page 11 and 12: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 11 THE DAY BEFO
Page 13 and 14: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 13 “Jamie is
Page 15 and 16: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 15 such as Silk
Page 17 and 18: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 17 —Trevor Ha
Page 19 and 20: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 19 An Almighty
Page 21 and 22: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 21 Meet Our Tea
Page 23 and 24: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 23 2022 NEW DAT
Page 25 and 26: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 25 Going home w
Page 27: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 27 Outdoors kid
Page 31 and 32: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 31 Road Trip Ha
Page 33 and 34: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 33 Pain and SCI
Page 35 and 36: SPINAL NETWORK NEWS 35 Thank you to

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