SII Peer Support Volunteers

Name: Donal

Age: 67

Injury: Cervical incomplete injury.  Donal walks with aids and also uses a wheelchair

Interests: Sport, particularly GAA and racing

​Why be a peer volunteer? Donal has a particular interest in wanting to support people in the area of employment and getting back into the workforce post injury

Name: Ollie

Age: 66

Injury: C1 incomplete injury following a spinal tumour.  Ollie walks with aids and also uses a wheelchair.

Interests: 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.

Why be a peer volunteer?  He wants to share his experience with others and help people get through the initial difficult period.

Name: Nicola

Age: 41, 2 children and a step daughter

Injury:
L3 – S1 incomplete injury resulting in Cauda Equina Syndrome.  Nicola walks with the aid of leg splints

Interests:

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.

Name: Patricia

Age: 62, 2 grown sons

Injury:

T12 – L2 Incomplete injury in 2012 resulting in Cauda Equina Syndrome

Interests:

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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Brian

Age: 29

Injury:

C4-C5 Incomplete injury following a cycling accident in 2012. Brian walks unaided.

Interests:

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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

It started as something to do to just break up the week but as I attended more and more sessions, I could see the people I spoke with really benefited from something as simple as a person that listens.  I enjoy seeing people I help coming through at the end stronger than before, that for me embodies the strength and need for peer support.

Name: Anna

Age: 41

Injury:

T6 complete injury following a road traffic accident in 2011, manual wheelchair user.

Interests:

Anna enjoys going to the gym, swimming, art, shopping, travelling, cooking, baking, socialising and going to concerts.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Bernard

Age: 61

Injury:

C6 Incomplete injury following a rugby accident in 1980, power chair user

Interests:

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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Clodagh

Age: 29

Injury:

T10 complete injury following a fall abroad in 2015, manual wheelchair user. Clodagh completed her rehab abroad and in the NRH when she returned home to continue her studies.

Interests:

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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

“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”.

Name: Conor

Age: 67

Injury:

T10 Complete injury in 1981 following a motorcycle racing accident in the Isle of Man TT races and is a manual wheelchair user.

Interests:

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 Europe, and by driving throughout Ireland, UK & France to self-accommodating holiday homes.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.”

Name: Declan

Age: 59

Injury:

T3 -T4 Complete injury in 2001 following a motorbike accident in America, manual wheelchair user.

Interests:

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.

Name: Emma

Age: 40

Injury:

T5 Complete injury from a horse-riding accident, manual wheelchair user

Interests:

Emma works in UCD and is doing a PHD in veterinary medicine, she is a big sc-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.

Name: Gemma

Age: 28

Injury:

L4 complete injury in 2015 following a car accident, manual wheelchair user.

Interests:

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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

“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.”

Name: John

Age: 62, married with 2 sons

Injury:

C3-T6 Incomplete injury following a road traffic accident in 2005, manual and powerchair user.

Interests:

John is interested in most sports; he finds exercise very helpful in managing his pain. He is also interested in gardening and cooking.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Julie

Age: 47, married with 1 son and 2 daughters

Injury:

Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) caused by a ruptured disc in 2013.  Incomplete L4-S1 injury

Interests:

Julie is a chef by trade and makes novelty birthday cakes.  She is also involved in an art group in her local area.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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”

Name: Karen

Age: 61

Injury:

T5 complete injury in 2004 following a fall while on holidays.  Power and manual chair user

Interests:

Worked as a nurse, took early retirement in 2015.  Karen now runs a business from her own home.  Happy to chat about all aspects of being a paraplegic.

Why be a peer volunteer?

“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!”

Name: Noreen

Age: 72

Injury:

Transverse Myelitis 2006 T9-T11 incomplete, walks with the use of an aid while out and about

Interests:
Worked as a Nurse/ midwife.  Loves travel, meditation, theatre, concerts, aqua aerobics, cinema, reading.​

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Ollie

Age: 56

Injury:

T4 Complete injury from a construction site accident in 2002.  Manual wheelchair user

Interests:

Ollie enjoys sport, especially GAA and soccer.  He enjoys 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.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.

Name: Paul

Age: 57, 2 sons

Injury:

Guillain Barré diagnosed in 2016

Interests:

Paul loves learning new things and meeting new people.  He enjoys sketching, especially buildings in his local area.

Why be a peer volunteer?

Paul wants to help support people who find themselves in a similar situation that he was in at the beginning of his diagnosis.

Name: Sandra

Age: 60, 1 son and 1 daughter

Injury:

Guillain Barré diagnosed in 2003, caused from complications from food poisoning.

Interests:

Sandra is very creative land loves interior design, gardening, cooking, fashion and entertaining.

Why be a peer volunteer?

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.