SII Peer Support Volunteers

Talk to someone who has first-hand experience and really understands your situation.  Take a look at the Peer Volunteers below.  Who might you relate to?  Who might have the experience that would relate to your situation?  We also have volunteers who do not have profiles on the website.

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We would be delighted to answer any questions you might have regarding the SII Peer Support Service and the supports available to you.

Call us:
Call 085 8584300 (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm)

Or email:
[email protected]

Send a message:
Simply click here to Request Peer Support and send your message now. We will then contact you directly.

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Meet the Team

Michael

Michael is 55. He is married with two grown up children. He has a T10/T11 complete injury. His interests includes watching sport, spending time with his three grandchildren. Michael wants to support those people who are newly injured when everything is so new and so raw.

AnnMarie

AnnMarie is 58. She is married with 4 grown up daughters. She sustained an incomplete T2 -T8 injury following a spinal stroke. AnnMarie walks with the use of aids. AnnMarie wants to support people who have experienced a very sudden change in their lives and how to cope and grow from the situation.

Donal

Donal is 67. He has a cervical incomplete injury. Donal walks with aids and also uses a wheelchair. He is very interested in sport, particularly GAA and racing. Donal has a particular interest in wanting to support people in the area of employment and getting back into the workforce post injury.

Ollie

Ollie is 66. He sustained a C1 incomplete injury following a spinal tumour. Ollie walks with aids and also uses a wheelchair. Ollie is a retired seafarer and marine cook and is a member of the local historical society and maritime museum. He enjoys swimming and anything to do with the sea. He attends lectures with the University of the Third Age (U3A) and enjoys sketching. He wants to share his experience with others and help people get through the initial difficult period.

Nicola

Nicola is 41. She has 2 children and a step daughter. She has a L3 – S1 incomplete injury resulting in Cauda Equina Syndrome. Nicola walks with the aid of leg splints. Nicola loves to keep fit. She enjoys hiking, cycling and reformer pilates. She works as a nurse specialist and is doing a post graduate course and is an unashamed Real Housewives fan. Why be a peer volunteer? Nicola wants to use her experiences to support anyone who is in a similar situation. She remembers how lonely she found it at the beginning, not knowing what was normal or what to expect. She is open to discussing any aspects of her injury and wishes she had been more open with speaking to others at the beginning.

Patricia

Patricia is 62 and has 2 grown up sons. She has a T12 – L2 Incomplete injury in 2012 resulting in Cauda Equina Syndrome. Patricia loves to play golf and travels with her friends to play abroad. She has learned to play bridge and enjoys it. She worked in the health service as a nurse manager. She wants to help support people who find themselves alone and lost in their new situation. She knows from first hand experience that it takes time to adjust to a “new normal” way of life.

Chris

Chris is 51 and is married with 2 teenage boys. He sustained L4/L5 ruptured discs resulting in Cauda Equina diagnosis in 2020. Chris walks with the use of aids. Chris has gone back to work part time. He enjoys walking his dog for exercise and fresh air. He wants to share his experience and give something back

Brian

Brian is 29. He sustained a C4-C5 incomplete injury following a cycling accident in 2012. Brian walks unaided. Brian volunteers with his local scout troop and enjoys teaching the scouts about nature and the outdoors. He values the importance of physical activity and fitness for mental as well as physical health. Brian has worked part time as our peer support coordinator and is very involved with supporting the patients while they are in the NRH seeing the value of peer support from the very beginning. Being a peer volunteer started as something to do to just break up the week but as he attended more and more sessions, he could see the people he spoke with really benefited from something as simple as a person that listens. He enjoys seeing people he helps coming through at the end stronger than before. That for Brian embodies the strength and need for peer support.

Anna

Anna is 41. She sustained a T6 complete injury following a road traffic accident in 2011 and is a manual wheelchair user. Anna enjoys going to the gym, swimming, art, shopping, travelling, cooking, baking, socialising and going to concerts. Anna became a peer mentor to help others to see that life still can be lived. On a personal level she finds it reassuring to talk to others with spinal cord injuries as they understand what each other is going through and talking about.

Bernard

Bernard is 61. He sustained a C6 incomplete injury following a rugby accident in 1980. He is a power chair user. Bernard has lived abroad for 5 years and speaks Thai so is very knowledgeable about travel and living in a foreign country. He is an enthusiastic poker player and is actively involved in his local rugby club. He has embraced adult education, most recently completing a Masters in History. Bernard joined the Peer mentoring group because he was interested in informing people that, despite its difficulties and restrictions, there were opportunities for those with spinal injuries. He has also felt it rewarding personally when discussing his injury and adaptations and difficulties coping with a spinal injury.

Clodagh

Clodagh is 29. She sustained a T10 complete injury following a fall abroad in 2015 and is a manual wheelchair user. Clodagh completed her rehab abroad and in the NRH when she returned home to continue her studies. Clodagh has a lot of experience dealing with returning to college and work post injury. She has travelled extensively and lived abroad. Clodagh is currently working in the area of health psychology which makes her ideally suited to be a peer volunteer. She loves swimming, socialising and cooking. “I decided to become a peer mentor because I know first-hand how much of a difference it can make in the early stages following SCI. Being able to pass on some of the information I’ve learned over the years is really rewarding, and I’m glad for the opportunity to give back to the SCI community who were so kind to me when I first had my injury”.

Conor

Conor is 67. He sustained a T10 complete injury in 1981 following a motorcycle racing accident in the Isle of Man TT Race and is a manual wheelchair user. Conor is now retired and has huge experience dealing with the pros and cons of the office environment as a wheelchair user, ​colleagues’ expectations and the considerations that may need to be put in place. He has considerable experience driving throughout Ireland, UK & France to self-accommodating holiday homes. He enjoys peer mentoring, encouraging others hopes and ideas to be confident to try new things. “Realising how easy it is to achieve things again after spinal injury, will change your outlook in life, again.”

Declan

Declan is 59. He sustained a T3 -T4 complete injury in 2001 following a motorbike accident in America. He is a manual wheelchair user. Declan has a lot of outdoor interests; he is a member of the Celtic motorbike club in New York and has a trike which enables him to get out on the road again. He felt he really benefitted from rehab activities such as canoeing, sailing, sky diving and skiing while in the States. He divides his time between Ireland and New York and is involved with peer mentoring Stateside also.

Emma

Emma is 40. She sustained a T5 complete injury from a horse-riding accident and is a manual wheelchair user. Emma works in UCD and is doing a PHD in veterinary medicine. She is a big sci-fi fan (especially Star Trek), likes travelling, has two cats and two ponies. Emma competes at horse driving trials. She is available to chat with anyone who needs advice especially in the areas of education and work.

Gemma

Gemma is 28. She sustained a L4 complete injury in 2015 following a car accident and is a manual wheelchair user. Gemma’s many interests include swimming, the gym, reading, cooking and baking (Gemma was a chef before her injury), being in the outdoors and going to concerts and rugby matches. “Dealing with a spinal cord injury isn’t easy; it puts your mind and body through a test. Trying to figure things out for yourself isn’t impossible, but why do it alone? That’s exactly what I did in the beginning. Once I began to talk to my peers, I realized that I could live a productive life with a spinal cord injury. I decided that I wanted to make a difference for the next person. I wanted to be there for those who needed to talk about the difficulties of living with a spinal cord injury. I also wanted to assist by providing resources. I love helping people overcome the obstacles they’ve encountered while dealing with an injury.”

John

John is 62 and is married with 2 sons. He sustained a C3-T6 incomplete injury following a road traffic accident in 2005. He is a manual and powerchair user. John is interested in most sports; he finds exercise very helpful in managing his pain. He is also interested in gardening and cooking. John has worked in the area of mental health as a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years. In the early days of his injury John says he made many mistakes so he wants to share his knowledge and hopefully support people to look for solutions.

Julie

Julie is 47 and is married with 1 son and 2 daughters. She has Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) caused by a ruptured disc in 2013 and has an incomplete L4-S1 injury. Julie is a chef by trade and makes novelty birthday cakes. She is also involved in an art group in her local area. Julie wants to support others to come to terms with being diagnosed with CES and to show people there is light at the end of the tunnel. “It’s a long road but it’s not the end of the world”.

Karen

Karen is 61. She sustained a T5 complete injury in 2004 following a fall while on holidays. She is a power and manual chair user. Karen worked as a nurse and took early retirement in 2015. Karen now runs a business from her own home. She is happy to chat about all aspects of being a paraplegic. “I decided to become a peer volunteer as I’d received so much as an in-patient I thought it’d be nice to help in some small way…. I really love it and I’ve learnt new information too. It really is a great pooling of information for everyone involved! I love it!”

Noreen

Noreen is 72. She sustained a T9-T11 incomplete injury due to the onset of Transverse Myelitis in 2006. She walks with the use of an aid while out and about. Noreen worked as a nurse and midwife but is now retired. She loves travel, meditation, theatre, concerts, aqua aerobics, cinema, reading.​ "When I came home from NRH in 2006 there wasn’t anyone else with Transverse Myelitis to talk to and I felt very alone. It takes time to adjust to normal life again and I would have loved to talk to someone with same condition. I would like to be there for anyone in similar circumstances. Comfortable talking about any issues with someone with Transverse Myelitis".

Ollie

Ollie is 56. He sustained a T4 complete injury in a construction site accident in 2002. He is a manual wheelchair user. Ollie enjoys sport, especially GAA and soccer. He likes current affairs, music and going to concerts and shows. He has been very involved in looking at transport issues through his work on the IWA transport committee, including air travel, public transport and wheelchair parking. Ollie has been delighted to be involved in peer support because he feels he has a lot of experience in the life changing effects of acquiring a spinal injury. He is very interested in making people’s lives a little easier and giving someone the sense that everything is achievable.

Paul

Paul is 57 and has 2 sons. He was diagnosed with Guillain Barré in 2016. Paul loves learning new things and meeting new people. He enjoys sketching, especially buildings in his local area. Paul wants to help support people who find themselves in a similar situation that he was in at the beginning of his diagnosis.

Sandra

Sandra is 60. She has 1 son and 1 daughter. In 2003 she was diagnosed with Guillain Barré, caused by complications from food poisoning. Sandra is very creative and loves interior design, gardening, cooking, fashion and entertaining. Having spent over a year in hospital initially, Sandra can relate to the anxiety and loneliness experienced by others in a similar situation. She would like to help anyone who finds themselves in this position and share her experiences while listening to their fears and questions.

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