Every Wednesday morning Eleanor Smyth, 69, from Ballymena, gives up her time to help others, volunteering at health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s (NICHS) local Post Rehab Exercise Programme (PREP) group. Eleanor knows all too well how much the charity can help people post stroke, as she completed three cycles of the programme after having a severe life-changing stroke eighteen months ago.
Eleanor explains; “I had started falling over a bit and thought it must be something to do with my ears as that can affect your balance. I later found out I had suffered multiple TIAs, often known as ‘mini strokes’, followed by a full stroke. I had absolutely no clue that was what was happening to me. I have always been very fit and active, so it was a massive shock to me and my family.”
“On the morning I had my stroke I got out of bed and fell straight to the floor. I actually started to laugh and said to my husband Brian that I must have got up too quickly. No matter how hard I tried however, I couldn’t get up, and Brian couldn’t help me either as he is disabled. I managed to slide myself out of our bedroom on the floor to the top of the stairs and then was able to get downstairs.”
“I just got on with my day but after dinner I tried to sit down on the sofa and just went head first into it. Brian had been worried all day and phoned our daughter and son. When they arrived, my daughter asked how I felt, and I explained I felt woozy in my head and that my legs and arms were heavy. I really didn’t think there was anything seriously wrong with me but according to Brian I was trailing my leg and my speech was slurred. I wasn’t aware of any of that. My family said they were taking me to hospital and at that stage my legs wouldn’t carry me.”
Eleanor was taken to Antrim Area Hospital where she had multiple scans and tests. “That’s when the doctor told me I had been having TIAs and this time, a full stroke. I couldn’t believe it. I was admitted and stayed in hospital for eight days.”
“When I was discharged from hospital the Community Stroke Team visited me at home and continued with my treatment for six months. My mobility was very badly affected as the muscles in my back and legs had collapsed. I couldn’t walk and it was three months before I could even move using a rollator. I trailed a leg and arm and had to really work hard on trying to improve my mobility.”
“I also had what I would describe as a severe brain fog and noise in my head and my capacity for noise, multiple people talking at the same time etcetera was really affected. That was hard to take, and it has only improved in the past few months. I also could not get over the tiredness I felt, a real fatigue. It was like hitting a brick wall and I found that frustrating. I wanted to get up and do things and I couldn’t, and I hated that. I still get very tired and have had to learn to pace myself, but I am a determined person and never give up.”
The Community Stroke Team referred Eleanor to Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s Post Rehab Exercise Programme (PREP). PREP is a physiotherapy led, community-based course which helps rebuild people's lives after stroke through exercise and education. It is designed for stroke survivors who have completed the statutory rehabilitation provided by the NHS to meet their longer-term care needs.
Eleanor says: “The first time I went to PREP I was nervous but within a couple of weeks I felt right at home. PREP helped me on my recovery journey more than anything and I completed it three times. The physiotherapy was of course extremely beneficial, but it was the talking to other stroke survivors and the peer support which really helped me. The other group members understood what it was like to have a stroke; we were all in similar situations and I could talk about things I didn’t want to worry my family about. We also had fun and a laugh too which was great. That’s why I volunteer now, so others can benefit from the same help I got.”
“When my third round of PREP came to an end, I really felt like I didn’t know what I was going to do without it. It helped me feel like I was getting back to the person I used to be. It was so helpful, and I looked forward to it so much. I spoke to some of the other volunteers and the group Care Services Coordinator, Patricia, and she said I would be more than welcome as a volunteer which I was delighted about.”
Explaining what she gets out of volunteering Eleanor says; “I love every minute of volunteering at PREP. I look forward to it every week and I won’t go anywhere on a Wednesday as I never want to miss the group. I would really encourage people to think about volunteering if they have some spare time and a positive attitude. You will get so much out of it.”
“I love being able to help people on their recovery journeys. I can share my experiences and hopefully that helps some people. I can reassure them; I’ve been where they are. I can also help give people hope for their recovery- I improved, and they can too.”
“I’m glad to be able to help people with the mental health side of their recovery too. It’s not just physical challenges which people face. After the physiotherapy exercises, we sit down and have a chat and that really helps people. You can see the stresses and worries lift a bit when people talk about how they are feeling and realise they aren’t alone, that others understand what it is like.”
Eleanor concludes; “Volunteering at PREP inspires me. When I see how far people have come when they get to the end of a PREP rotation it is an inspiration to me. The people at PREP make it and it is a joy to be part of.”
Caoimhe Devlin, Head of HR and Volunteering at Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke says; “We are so grateful for all the help and support Eleanor gives to our charity and we would like to take this opportunity to thank her, and all our other volunteers this Volunteers’ Week.”
“At NICHS we depend on the support of our team of committed and compassionate volunteers to allow us to deliver our charitable activities. We involve volunteers in our care services, public health activities, research committees, on our Governance Board, at our fundraising events and as community ambassadors. In short, we involve volunteers in everything we do, and we could not achieve what we do without them.”
“We are currently recruiting for volunteer opportunities across Northern Ireland. Volunteering with NICHS really will make a profound difference to the lives of local people and anyone interested in being part of this can find out more at www.nichs.org.uk/volunteering .”
If you have been inspired by Eleanor’s story you can view NICHS’s current volunteer opportunities at www.nichs.org.uk/volunteering
