Recovery following an injury can have a huge impact on our day-to-day life – and for Andy Haslem, getting back on the run as quickly as possible was a huge priority for him and his overall wellbeing.
Andy had to have surgery on his knee following a flare-up from a previous injury, which meant months off work while he recovered.
He was invited to Jubilee House on our rehabilitation programme during that time, and says it helped immensely in building his confidence and fitness back up.
“I’d just completed a full circuit on station and I was actually getting changed after the circuit,” Andy says. “I just felt that my knee had locked.
“It’s something that has happened previously following an old injury, but it’s always something that I could manipulate back. This time, however, it didn’t get any better.
“I went to A&E and they diagnosed it, before following up with surgery and rehab… I’d had an ACL reconstruction in the past and they found I had multiple loose bodies floating around the knee itself, the size of grapes. I think one of them had became lodged.
“When I woke up from surgery, I realised it was going to be a longer process to get back to work that I originally thought.”
It was around that time that Andy reached out to us, to see how we may be able to aid his recovery.
“They had an opening fairly soon and I was made up and took the opportunity straight away,” he adds.
“I highly recommend the experience to anyone who feels they’d benefit from support. I can’t fault anything at all. It was intense, but I was told about before I went, and it was well structured.
“There were hydrotherapy sessions, pool sessions, walks, outdoors, gym sessions, fitness room sessions and then on top of that, talks on things like stress, pain management, alcohol, relaxation.
“My programme was tailored towards me and it really did push me. I got a lot more confidence in returning to work. The team took me through fitness tests on the last day, which gave me more confidence.
“It’s okay doing general day to day things in the gym, like running on a treadmill in a straight line, or walking up a hill on a treadmill in a straight line… everyday things for civilian life, but that’s not what is required in terms of being a firefighter. First day back on the job, I need to be ready for any incident that turns up, I need to be ready to do basically anything that’s required.”
As a final word to anyone reading his story, Andy says: “I’d say to anyone who’s possibly thinking about getting in touch with the charity or has any concerns about it, just go for it. The people who were there were there for a wide variety of reasons.
“There were people still in the job, people who have retired from the job, family members who have never been in the job, young, more senior members of the community were there… such a wide demographic.
“The whole process from start to end was absolutely fantastic. I can’t fault anything to do with it at all. The staff were great, the facilities were outstanding. They’ve been doing this for years and years and they know exactly what they’re looking for, exactly how to bring the best out of everyone.”
If you feel you’d benefit from our health and wellbeing support, you can call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or visit the ‘Access Support’ tab in My Fire Fighters Charity.
And remember – if you’re feeling suicidal, you can call our Crisis Line 24 hours a day on 0300 373 0896.