I survived having a stroke – now I’m helping others like Scott to walk again – and you can too
AFTER Scott Cunningham suffered a major stroke doctors told him he would never walk again – but there is one person cheering him on to ensure he will.
He is determined to get his fitness back with the help of Georgia McAllister, 53, a volunteer with Royal Voluntary Service’s Supporting Your Recovery scheme in Falkirk, Scotland.
Scott, 48, who used to run his own window-cleaning business, lost the feeling in his arm, leg and foot on the left side of his body and spent six months in hospital after his stroke in November last year.
Georgia, herself a stroke survivor, regularly visits Scott at his home in Grangemouth, near Falkirk, and the pair have forged a strong bond.
Scott said: “I got told I wouldn’t walk again but I’m trying. I’m just going to keep on persisting with what I do.
“With Georgia’s encouragement I will be able to do it.
“She’s brilliant at building me up and getting me thinking positively. She’s always giving me pointers. She’s a remarkable person.
“My confidence is getting really, really good. She understands the way I’m thinking because that’s the way she was thinking. Just talking to Georgia helps. I’m determined.”
Royal Voluntary Service desperately needs more volunteers like Georgia — and for The Sun’s Helping Hands at Christmas appeal this year we are asking YOU to support life-changing work with time and/or money to help thousands of vulnerable people.
There are volunteering opportunities to suit everyone, from helping out at lunch and social clubs, driving someone to and from hospital, helping with a hospital trolley or making companionship phone calls.
Or help by donating — £6 a month will pay the costs of a volunteer for a year.
Georgia, a former cleaner who had to give up work after the stroke and is registered blind, has only been volunteering for six months but is already making a huge impact.
And she knows exactly the challenges Scott faces on a daily basis after suffering her stroke in 1999, which left her paralysed down her left side. She spent three months in hospital.
She said: “The stroke completely changed my life. My independence went.”
But she was intent on living as normal a life as possible.
The mum of two, who lives with husband Greg, 62, a transport supervisor, in Bonnybridge, said: “I trained really hard. It’s about having that determination.
“I worked at home constantly.”
The impact of her stroke was life-changing and, after lengthy rehabilitation, she decided to help others like her.
Georgia said: “It was something I always wanted to do, to encourage people by seeing the new me. I always wanted to work with stroke survivors.
“I offer practical support as I understand how they feel.
“It’s very tiring for somebody who has had a stroke to do anything really. You’ve got to work four times as hard.
“I love it when I speak to Scott because I can say to him certain things that no one else would be able to do because I have been there and done it.
‘She’s remarkable’
“It’s accepting the new you, which is quite difficult.”
The pair got into the festive spirit, wearing Christmas jumpers and Santa hats, as they enjoyed a cuppa and a mince pie at Scott’s home this week.
But Georgia was also still encouraging him in his recovery.
She said: “Scott suffers badly with his shoulder and his arm. His muscles are so tight. I’ve got him to fan out his hands now as his fingers were like mine, all screwed up. He said his hand is getting a lot better.
“I give him little goals, like to go from one end of the lounge to the other. We’ve got such a bond now. I know when he is having a good day or a bad day.
“I know he is going to get out walking again. He has got that sheer determination. I can hear it in his voice.”
Georgia says she gets so much out of volunteering and urges others to try it.
She said: “It would be great to get younger people to volunteer. If they are home from university and have time on their hands, they would be amazed by what they would get from it.
“Doing this work you have to have empathy and kindness. It brings a smile to my face.”
- To give your time or donate money go to royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/helpinghands
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Donate time
THERE are a wide range of volunteering jobs available, including making a companionship call, serving hot meals at our lunch clubs to someone who would not otherwise eat, delivering practical help to those recovering from illness and working on hospital wards or at vaccination sites.
If there is not a suitable role in your local area, you might want to sign up as an Emergency Response Volunteer.
You will be contacted when new vital roles are introduced, to support communities and the NHS over winter.
Visit the website: royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/helpinghands now, to find out about jobs in your area and follow the instructions on how to sign up.
Donate money
IF you can’t volunteer you can donate money to help cover the costs of recruiting and training volunteers. Just £6 a month covers the cost of a volunteer for a year.
To donate, visit the website above or text HANDS to 70507 to give £5*
*You will be charged £5, plus one message at your standard network rate. Royal Voluntary Service will receive 100 per cent. If you wish to discuss this mobile payment, call 020 3282 7863. Registered charity number 1015988 (England and Wales) & SC038924 (Scotland).
By texting HANDS to 70507 you are agreeing to us contacting you by SMS about fundraising and to tell you more about our work. To give £5 without receiving further contact by SMS, text HANDSNO to 70507.
