Have you met our Peer Support Outreach Team?

Dumfries Coffee Meet & Greet

Spinal Injuries Scotland is a national charity which Spinal Injuries Scotland aims to be an agent for positive change for people with spinal cord injuries.

Spinal Injuries Scotland strives to do more to support those people whose lives have been transformed by spinal injury. We have fully established the Glasgow Peer Support Service and attend the Spinal Unit at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital on a daily basis. These Peer Supporters use their own experience of a spinal injury in a meaningful and positive way by drawing on their own personal experience of recovery to help others going through a difficult rehabilitation. They offer empathy and understanding, and encourage the development of mutual support relationships. Our new members tell us that they wish to continue to receive support when they return home after hospital.

To this end we have hired three new Peer Support Advisors based in Aberdeen, Inverness, and Dumfries & The Borders.

RAYMOND BROWN – ABERDEEN AND GRAMPIAN

Raymond Brown

I was a self-employed floor layer, working in a very physical role, providing a dedicated quality service to individuals and through contract work for John Lewis Plc and House of Fraser.

In June 2004, my life changed forever. Firstly I got married, and then on day 12 of a wonderful honeymoon, I became a C5-C6 complete tetraplegic.

I knew from the moment of impact, on a sandbank off the Dominican Republic that I had, in my own words “ruined everything”. Looking back now, those words do not reflect my life. I have a different life, and a good life. Maybe not the one I would have chosen, however, I am alive and enjoying life to the full.

It took a year of intensive rehabilitation at the Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow to get me back to a position to start my new life as a functioning disabled person who was able to live independently within the community and believe me, it was a hard transition. Everything terrified me, and looking back I am so grateful for all the support that was given to me, especially by the medical staff and the Peer Support team from Spinal Injuries Scotland. I now have a superb team of nurses and carers who assist me to get out of bed every day and once I am up, there is no stopping me!

What I’ve done since my injury I now drive, I have a job as tutor for a local college, where I support over 70 students to complete computer courses. I cook, I clean, I wheel (walk) the dog, and generally, I do almost everything able bodied people do. Everything is a lot slower. I have damaged almost every door and wall in the house. I drop things

constantly and hear my wife shouting “what have you done now”... but these things bring laughter and humour to a life where “I did not ruin everything”.

My life, 14 years post injury has had challenges. I see everything through different eyes, and I appreciate even the smallest things.

As mentioned previously, I have regained my driving licence, after my second attempt, which has given me greater independence. I attended my local college to learn new skills and was subsequently offered employment as Distance Learning Tutor. That was several years ago which seems like only yesterday. I completed a number of other courses in web design which enabled me to take my career on a different path.

It has not been easy and it has taken me a number of years to adapt to my new way of life, learning new skills and adapting to everyday tasks. It’s been a long journey with many ups and downs, but from day one I’ve had the support and encouragement of my amazing wife Frances.

Why I wanted to be involved with SIS and hope to achieve in my role When the opportunity to join SIS as a Peer Support Advisor came along, I was really excited about the opportunity to get involved both locally and within the wider community. I would love to offer support to new and existing individuals with a spinal cord injury. I would like to pass on my knowledge and experience, providing one to one support, practical help and advice with encouragement and a listening ear.

I would like to assist family members and friends, allowing them to talk through the impact of a spinal cord injury with someone who understands or who can signpost them to the most appropriate help.

GRZERGORZ FARYNO – INVERNESS

Greg Faryno

Before my injury I was living in Poland where I worked as a physiotherapist in a neurological ward. There I helped those with neurological conditions including those affected by SCI’s to progress in their rehab.

In 2005 I moved to Scotland where I started working as a Care Assistant for the elderly. I worked in this position for over 10 years until I had my accident in 2016 when my bicycle collided with a lorry.

Before my injury I was very interested in sports including squash and bicycle racing and even took part in Etape Loch Ness. After my injury it seemed that I would never get to enjoy these things again and I remember feeling quite hopeless.

What I’ve done since my injury I am currently learning to drive so that I can gain better independence, although I don’t mind travelling by public transport and regularly get the train from Inverness to Glasgow.

After my accident I was transferred from Inverness to the Spinal Unit in Glasgow where I met the Spinal injuries Scotland peer support team. They helped me through the different stages of my recovery.

While I was in the unit I attended the summer BBQ at Castle Semple as a patient. Here I was given the opportunity and the confidence to try different activities which I never thought I would do when first injured.

When I left hospital I quickly realised that I needed more support. I had no willpower and I was struggling with my health problems and chronic pain. My family did not understand what I was going through, and they were

pushing me to do things I wasn’t ready to do. During one of my outreach clinic appointments I reconnected with the Peer Support team that travelled up to Inverness with the Spinal Cord Injury medical team, who reassured me that help and support was available.

Why I wanted to be involved with Spinal Injuries Scotland and hope to achieve in my role After seeing the fantastic work that the Charity does first hand, I just wanted to be part of the team. Working for Spinal Injuries Scotland has given me a second chance at getting my life back by helping others who are facing the same challenges that I did.

STUART MCMILLAN – DUMFRIES & THE BORDERS

Stuart McMillan

I worked offshore from 2003 in the Forties Field with Apache North Sea. Previously I had worked at Grangemouth in the oil and gas sector. I loved my new career, one of the main benefits being the work pattern of two weeks offshore and three home leave.

As an offshore worker I would spend my downtime going to the gym and planning all my two wheeled exploits for when I returned to terra firma. These would be bike trips with mates to foreign countries or around the UK. A family holiday to Tenerife or Glentress / Innerleithen action.

All my plans and hopes would come to a very abrupt end when I made the mistake of colliding with a car at 40mph!!

No more motorbikes! No more mountain bikes! No more offshore! Everything which shaped me and my life was stripped away and effectively I’ve had to reinvent myself.

In rehab after my accident the realisation that all the things I loved doing would no longer be available to me. At this time, I met with Mike Thomas and Laura Torrance from Spinal Injuries Scotland. They both made me realise that there could be life after injury and it could still contain some of the elements of my previous hobbies.

This is where Spinal Injuries Scotland entered my life and began the next and current chapter.

It’s very easy to get into deep dark places mentally when one’s physical capabilities are taken away so severely, especially when you have been so used to living an active life pre-injury. Being able to speak to people who can not only empathise, but who have experienced these emotions first hand, to me was invaluable. This lifted me hugely and I vowed that I would get involved with Spinal Injuries Scotland as a volunteer to help others.

While I was in the SIU at QEUH Glasgow there was the annual Spinal Injuries Scotland BBQ, which I attended for the first time. I was able to sample hand bikes and sailing. I loved it! There were other activities such as powerboat, kayaking and canoeing but they couldn’t get me off the sailboat or hand bike!

What I’ve done since my injury I now pursue hand cycling as a means of getting around, having invested in a BATEC Hybrid attachment for my wheel chair, I've also been able to get out in a proper recumbent hand cycle through Access to Cycling in Edinburgh. As for sailing, I was able to get out on Lochwinnoch at this years BBQ.

Since my accident I have been Skiing in Colorado, through BackUp. This was amazing, and involved my first intercontinental flight and first-time skiing. I also attended an over 50’s activity course in the Lake District which involved sailing, kayaking, abseiling and a push around Lake Derwent.

I regularly get the opportunity to take to the track in a race car thanks to Colin Duthie and the team at DMS (Disability Motorsport). I have also been gliding through the Charity “Walking on Air”.

Fortunately, as soon as I left the SIU I was already driving my own sports car, a BMW Z4, which isn’t the ideal transport for a wheelchair user but it harked back to my able-bodied days. This has allowed me the freedom to pursue all these events and generally maintain an active life without having to rely upon my long-suffering wife Lynda.

Why I wanted to be involved with SIS and hope to achieve in my role As I said before, I was made aware of the brilliant work of Spinal Injuries Scotland by Laura, Mike, Kiera, Andy and all the other volunteers in the SIU. This meant as soon as I was able, I jumped at the opportunity to volunteer myself. In due course a further opportunity arose to take up a position with Spinal Injuries Scotland as an Outreach Support Advisor for the Borders and Dumfries, I knew that car would come in handy!