Diagnosed with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, Zoe was unable to work or lead a normal day-to-day life. Supported by her husband Jamie, Zoe spent time on one of our programmes after her condition began to take a toll on family life.

Husband and wife, Zoe and Jamie, attended our health and wellbeing programme together, both benefiting from the opportunity to address some long standing health concerns.

Jamie, a serving firefighter, sought help for a back injury and explained that the Charity’s intervention came at exactly the right time for his wife and for his family. “It was at a time where we were at a real bad place,” he said, “it was all just spiralling downwards and we couldn’t get out of it.”

Zoe explained further: “Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition and made everything a whole lot worse so I was in bed or housebound for that period and there was even a point where I had to buy a wheel chair so that I could go out. I went from a person that could run and cycle to a person who was very weak and in lots of pain and really struggling. It was a really hard and upsetting time.”

“It has been amazing, it has far exceeded our expectations.”

Jamie

Zoe, who had not been herself for some time before the couple’s visit to Harcombe House faced challenges with simple tasks and felt she had lost her confidence after not being able to work for some months.  She was dependant on Jamie’s support at home and admitted that attending the programme without her husband would have been really difficult.

“To come here alone and not have our children and Jamie would have been extremely hard,” she said. “He is able to listen to all of the advice, attend the lectures, come to the gym and he can see the improvements in me since coming here. Jamie is the firefighter, but I was able to come here and get some help, some practical help which was really fantastic.”

Jamie added: “It has been amazing, it has far exceeded our expectations and the difference that I have seen in Zoe has been incredible.”

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