Hi my name is Peter, I came to the St. Leonards service in June 2018 after being discharged from hospital suffering from an acquired brain injury. At first, I found it quite scary, I didn’t know anyone, and I was in strange surroundings and being shy didn’t help. My long-term memory was fine, but my short-term memory is not very good. I found it hard to remember people’s names and what I was supposed to do from day to day.
My life choices before coming to St. Leonards had been poor, my drinking had become a problem and my eating habits were poor. I came to St. Leonards with nothing but the clothes on my back, all my possessions were gone.
With the help of a small team of support workers my life has turned around. My confidence is growing daily, I’ll never be able to do everything I used to but that’s not a bad thing. My life now is really good, I still drink but with the support/planning and encouragement I get on a daily basis, I am now only drinking 1 can of Lager a day, that’s down from 8 cans a day and by the end of August I wont even be drinking that and I feel great, If I feel I’m having a bad day, there is always someone there to chat and encourage me and more importantly remind me why I’m doing this.
Recently the way I am supported changed, this has been great for me.
I am now able to go to the cinema once a week (I love going to the cinema). I have freedom to choose as to where I would like to go, I really enjoy going into all the shops and looking for a bargain. I’ve had my flat decorated and have bought new furniture for my flat, because for the first time in a long time I have money in the bank and am making good choices. This is now my home and I couldn’t be happier. I’m still a little shy with people I don’t know, and I don’t mix very well but I’m working on that and for the first time in my life I am making good life choices. Life is good and getting better. All of this would not have been possible without the help and encouragement I receive from my support team. Moving into St. Leonards has been the best thing since sliced bread, the support team are great, and life is sound. Next year I hope to go to Barcelona, again that would not have been possible with the life if used to live. Again, I’ll say my life is good and getting better.