Wynn, a keen dancer and marathon runner, had a stroke while at work in 2012. After spending six months in hospital immediately after her stroke, Wynn was admitted to Daniel Yorath House, one of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust’s (BIRT) services in Leeds. Here, she engaged in physiotherapy sessions and received lots of help with her communication, which was severely impaired as a result of her brain injury.
After 18 months of rehabilitation at Daniel Yorath House, she was discharged and moved to Osman House in 2015, a BIRT service for continuing rehabilitation.
Through ongoing support and prompts from staff, as well as her own determination and motivation, Wynn is now nearly fully independent with her personal care and may just require the odd helping hand from staff.
WynnHaving been a fitness fan before her brain injury, Wynn initially struggled with not being as active as she used to be. This was a huge blow to her confidence and self-esteem.
Wynn wanted to get back into running, so with staff, she set a goal to take part in a Race for Life. With support from staff, she started out by going for walks around the village. She built this up and then progressed to jogging, and eventually was able to take part in her first race since her brain injury. Wynn has since taken part in further Race for Life events and hopes to continue with her running, as it has helped immensely with her fitness, her confidence and her enjoyment of life.
Senior Rehabilitation Support Worker, Danielle, has supported Wynn since she was admitted to Osman House and has seen first-hand the progress she has made. She said:
“When I first met Wynn she was very quiet and withdrawn, and wouldn’t participate in activities or socialise. Now, it’s like she’s a completely different person, she’s made loads of friends in the service and has got her self-confidence back. She has gone from not being able to look in the mirror to looking at herself and saying ‘I am beautiful.’ She has come on in leaps and bounds since first coming to BIRT.”
Wynn’s progress has been fantastic, and she is now able to live life to the full at Osman House, taking part in a range of activities, going out into the community regularly, and socialising with other service users, as well as enjoying regular visits from her parents, her husband and her two children. The team hope that with the right support Wynn can go on to live more independently in the future.