Issy

I had a car accident in 2005 when I was 9 years old. This resulted in a spinal injury at C 1, meaning I am ventilator and wheelchair dependent. I was on paediatric intensive care for a year, 2 hours away from my home, friends, and family. My parents took it in turns to stay with me in a charity-run accommodation next to the hospital designed for parents to stay with their children. My brother was at home with our other parent as he was still young, only 2 years older than me. I only saw him several times throughout the year, but he was scared and didn’t understand what was going on either.

The staff on the ward were great; they took me in like a surrogate family and made my time there so much nicer and easier. There was a slight transition period in which carers learnt my care from nurses and they took me home when everyone thought I was ready. Since then, care has always been tricky with some dangerous situations even. But, being home and seeing my family and friends was brilliant. I started off with homeschooling supplied by the local exclusion unit and had amazing teachers and amanuenses, some of whom I still keep in touch with now. After a few years, I started being reintegrated into the school I went to before. However, this school treated me fairly badly so my parents had to take me out and I started physically going to the exclusion unit. These teachers were lovely and helped me a lot.

My high school and A-levels went pretty well and I increased my time there until the last few years I was full-time. I did 7 GCSEs (English, Maths, Science, French, and Spanish) and 3 A-levels (English Literature, French, and Spanish), achieving As and Bs. I had a gap year in which I volunteered at a local primary school helping and teaching children of all ages in all subjects, including helping one little boy with mental health issues. I also volunteered at a local refugee centre aiding with English-language and English-culture lessons.

I moved to university and have a degree in French and Linguistics through which I also took Spanish credits. I am now doing a Masters in English Literature. I’ve really enjoyed doing some research as well: as an internship I did some thematic analysis on how women with urinary incontinence find emotional support on online forums, and as a volunteer I did thematic analysis on how dentists communicate gum disease with patient (which actually got published earlier this month which is very exciting!). I love learning, especially languages, and enjoy being as independent as possible with spending time with friends and family, going out, and experiencing life.

I’m now excited for my journey to start contributing to spinal research. I hope to help the advancements in curing paralysis in any way I can. In the meantime, I think that more awareness of spinal injuries is necessary in society, and I hope that the more knowledge we can learn and share about them, the world will become a better, more familiar, and more comfortable place for everyone. I believe that, for inclusivity to really flourish in society, those who know best about spinal injuries – we, who live with them every day – can create an environment in which we are listened to. I hope to make future lives with spinal injuries better and easier than existing ones.