Never give up a dream

Chloë Hammond shares with us her determination to achieve the career ambitions she had as a child and the hurdles she faced along the way.

My name is Chloë and I am a nurse. I am the only nurse in the UK who uses a wheelchair and has an assistance dog. It hasn’t been an easy road, but I’m so proud of the journey I have been on, the person I have become, and the amount of lives I have touched.

When I was younger I was admitted to hospital with multi-organ failure. I was in an adult hospital being looked after by nurses with very little / no experience of working with children and young people. I decided right then that I wanted to be a nurse.

I worked really hard and got the grades I needed for college, despite having an attendance record of less than 20% at school.

I went to college and did my A-Levels. My college tutors were lovely and really supportive of my dream to go to university and become a nurse. They didn’t see my disabilities, they just saw my hard work, determination and my desire to succeed.

That’s when I hit my first road block. Despite getting 9 A*- C’s at GCSE and being predicted brilliant grades at A-Level, I didn’t get accepted by any of my university choices. I wasn’t told a reason. But, at the university interviews people made comments and raised concerns that maybe a career in nursing was not for me and perhaps not quite the direction I should be going. I was warned that I couldn’t be taking extended periods out as sick leave during the course and that I would always be subject to occupational health clearance as a student and as a qualified nurse. But I didn’t give up. I knew what my dream was, and I wanted to make it happen. I went through ‘clearing’ and was offered an unconditional place at University of West London.

My disabilities fluctuate. I spent my Uni-life on crutches or walking unaided. I tried as hard as I could to keep my hidden disabilities just that, hidden! I graduated with a 2:2 in Child Health Nursing in 2013.

I struggled to get a job after leaving University. I had taken an extra month to submit my dissertation and had needed some sick leave when I had been admitted to hospital again and had surgery. I think this put some employers off. I did find a job shortly after our graduation ceremony, 4 months after my nursing friends.

As I got older my conditions deteriorated. I was struggling to walk without significant pain and fatigue and was using crutches all the time at home. My employer had made it clear that they didn’t feel my current workplace was really suitable for me anymore. I applied for, and got, a new job within the same trust. It wasn’t what I wanted to do. But it was a job I could do, and it kept me in healthcare. I went from doing a hands on job I loved to being in an office. My conditions continued to worsen and I had to take time off sick. I was advised to start using a wheelchair by my physiotherapist. When I tried to return to my office-based nursing job I faced discrimination and was made to feel generally not welcome in my wheelchair. I was told my wheelchair couldn’t fit in the office and I would have to leave it somewhere and walk to my desk. When I challenged this, I was told that I wasn’t putting in enough effort, and wasn’t willing to meet them half-way. I ended up leaving the position. If enough people tell you you’re not good enough you begin to believe it.

I applied to be an activities coordinator but I was ‘over qualified’. I applied to be a deputy manager at a learning disability home but was told I wasn’t suitable because they had concerns my dog would pose an infection control risk and my wheelchair would be a fire hazard. I even applied for a position as a Team Leader in a children’s home and was told the building isn’t accessible. I was ready to give up. I was so sick of being told I wasn’t able to continue the career I had worked so hard to make possible. Eventually I was given the chance to be a Nurse Manager in a care home and quickly proved my skills working my way up. I showed everyone that a wheelchair user (with an assistance dog) can still be a nurse, and can still be a valued employee.

After catching covid twice last December I was at a crossroads again. Covid had made my fatigue worse and my ability to battle through it had diminished. The long shifts were no longer possible and a 24 hour shift over Christmas was the final straw. I needed a new position again. I was contacted by an employment agency who told me they had the perfect position for me. We arranged an interview, and I loved the company and the position they had available. I am currently working for an organisation called Radis Community Care, as a community lead nurse for complex care. This means I help get people out of hospital and back into their own homes with the care and support they need. It is a very rewarding job.

Radis Community Care didn’t see any issues with me being a wheelchair user, and they loved the idea of welcoming their first assistance dog to the business. They have worked with me to create an advertising campaign that aims to encourage more people with disabilities to apply for positions in care. They have embraced my differences and can now see what a valuable perspective I can bring to the care industry.

It saddens me that even organisations that are set up to support people with disabilities are too quick to make discriminatory comments, or suppress a child or young persons’ dreams just because they have a disability. An organisation I was recently trying to support to get international recognition told me they “don’t need to worry about that because their clients have autism, so they’ll never leave the country”.

As I said at the start, I am the only wheelchair using nurse with an assistance dog working in the UK. But I hope I can help change this in the future and encourage children and young people to have dreams and aspirations that the people around them, can get behind and support them.

I would be delighted to talk to anybody interested in a career in healthcare or just like to know a little more about me and Ocho.

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