Hi! My name is Mickey and I live in Fleetwood. I’ve lived in Fleetwood for 8 years and, for most of the time that I’ve lived here, I’ve been pretty happy.
I’d like to share some of my less happy times with you and show you just how far I have come – with a little support from my ubu enabling team.
I would like to take you back to March 2020. I was living my best life; I had a voluntary job that I worked at for 3 days a week, I walked my neighbour’s dog, Bruno, for them every morning, I went to the pub with my friends and I loved to ride the Heritage Trams in Blackpool I had a busy life and then BOOM! It was the 26 March 2020 and the world went into lockdown.
My whole life changed overnight. I felt like a prisoner in my own home. I could only go out for short walks twice a day. I missed my job, socialising with my friends and seeing Bruno, the dog. My mental health deteriorated and I became so unwell that I had to spend 7 months in a hospital in Bradford taking care of my health and wellbeing. During this time, I couldn’t have any visitors but UBU staff would take time to video call me every week. They’d check in on me to see how I was feeling and they’d reassure me that everything at home was under control. It’s very important to me that my bills are paid and the UBU team made sure that this happened as it should. They also worked to make sure that my flat would still be there for me on my return from hospital, once I was feeling better.
I was devastated that I had ended up back in hospital during the Pandemic. I had previously spent time in there before moving into my apartment with ubu, due to a dip in my mental health. However, with the help and support of my staff team, I had been signed off from the mental health team. I’d been able to reduce my medication significantly – which made me really happy.
Yet 2020 saw me right back in the same place. I was upset, sad and annoyed with my situation. I simply couldn’t envisage being able to return to the happy life that I had made for myself with the support I had received from ubu.
By October 2020, I was ready to come home. I had mixed emotions; I knew that I had a long journey ahead of me and didn’t want to be on the amount of medication that I had to take. However, I knew I had to take them to make me better and they would be reduced gradually as my mental health improved.
I had a lot to juggle. My mood was unpredictable and I felt that I was not in control of my life. I didn’t like the way the medication made me feel and I would get very frustrated as I believed it was taking too long for me to be me again. With the support of my staff team, who were understanding and patient, enabled me to attend my appointments and take small steps in my road to recovery. They encouraged me to get out and about and never gave up on me or the progress I was making.
Now, I’m feeling a bit more like my old self.
Gradually, I’ve had my medication reduced - which I am happy about. I called into the charity shop that I had previously worked in and the manager, Becki, was so pleased to see me. She asked me when I was returning as she had missed me. She’d kept my work T-shirt and ID ready for me and told me that she had never replaced me - my hours were still there for me as I was the best member of staff she had worked with. I was over the moon! I chatted with my ubu staff and Becki and I decided I would go back once a week for 2 hours to see how I felt. Then, after a couple of weeks, I decided I was happy to do two days a week, working 2 hours a day.
Hopefully, as my confidence grows, I will eventually be back to my 3 days. I have been out and about in my community and I have once again been on the Heritage Trams travelling the coastal route, which was so nice to do.
I am taking small steps but now I feel more positive; I know I am on the road to recovery and I have ubu support. They didn’t give up on me, even when things were tough. So, onwards and upwards and a big thumbs up to all my staff team for standing alongside me throughout my journey so far.
