May 13th 2023 is spinal cord injury awareness day and we are celebrating the fantastic work of the Cauda Equina Syndrome Spinal Cord Injury support group in the work they do supporting people living with a spinal cord injury as a result cauda equina syndrome. The founders of the group and their mission The group run by husband and wife team Allison and Nigel Whitehorn run in person meetings all over the country and regular online chats for their members. Allison who lives with a spinal cord injury herself has also worked as peer support volunteer for the Spinal Injuries Association founded CESCI with husband Nigel with their focus being to offer practical and emotional support.The group which predominantly used Facebook to share stories and advice and lived experiences to help members has grown so much in the last two years since it began, that key supporters Claire and Roger Sago have stepped in to help run support meetings in the north of the country to make sure those that need support can access it. The impact of spinal cord injury and work The images in this article, collated by Allison and Nigel, has been prepared to demonstrate that a spinal cord injury can happen to anyone in any occupation. One of the biggest issues concerning members of CESCI, and all those who sustain a spinal cord injury, is work; can I go back? How can I cope financially if I can only work part time or not at all? How will my employer react to my injury? Will I need to change my job? Many of the CESCI members have used this initiative and the upcoming spinal cord injury awareness day as an opportunity to discuss the work they were doing at the time of their injury and how life has changed as a result of living with CES. It has resulted in many positive stories, as well as acknowledgement that life does invariably have to change as a result of such a serious injury. On discussing this image and the awareness day, Allison said: "It’s about learning about your injury, and understanding how to adapt your life as a result. It does not have to mean that you can’t work but it might mean you need to change your job or reduce your hours. I loved my job as a nurse but I could not continue as a result of my injury and that was really hard for me to come to terms with. And I know how vital support from someone who has been through a similar situation can be. It is so important to reach out and find support from those sharing in that journey." You can find out more about CESCI and the fantastic work they do, here. If you have suffered severe injury or disability from spinal cord injury or CES and would like to find out more about making a claim, you can talk to one of our experienced solicitors, free and confidentially, by contacting us.
