Wolverhampton man works for mental health service that helped him
A former mental health patient who was offered a job at the same hospital that treated him, says the opportunity has "changed his life".Kevin Gardener, 39, was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in 2007 and spent time in numerous mental health hospitals before he was admitted to Cygnet Health Care Sedgley House in Wolverhampton.Everton Kanyayi, head of care at the house, said the team quickly noticed he would make a good support worker, as he often "chipped in" with jobs that would usually be done by the nursing team.Mr Gardener was excited as soon as the idea was mentioned to him and said he knew it was something he "would love to do".
The 39-year-old from Wolverhampton was discharged in 2021 and has been helping other men with their mental health problems ever since.He provides care assistance, including developing treatment plans as well as administering medications, to the care provider's patients and said he was pleased to give back to the service. Mr Gardener also experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression during his teenage years and explained how his time as a patient had given him the best skills to be able to help current service users."I know what it's like on a day-to-day basis; some days can be quite hard and can be a struggle."I've got that rapport with service users that some staff might not have."
Mr Kanyayi said having Mr Gardener as part of the team had helped to inspire other patients. "Some of them may not believe that they'll be able to come out and go back to work during this period of crisis, but we can use Kev as an example to the other guys that it's actually possible to continue achieving things." He met Mr Gardener on the first day he was admitted and said: "He was totally different from what he is today."Mr Kanyayi added that the progress Mr Gardener had made was rare. "Going from a service user to a support worker, it's inspiring and a magnificent journey."I'm so happy to have worked with Kev, and we are really proud that we were part of his journey and recovery."
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Patsy Kensit cuts a glamorous figure in floral dress at the British Soap Awards after revealing PTSD diagnosis
Patsy Kensit cut a glamorous figure as she attended the British Soap Awards at Hackney Town Hall in London on Saturday. The actress, 57, donned a navy long-sleeved midi dress for the event which featured a multi-coloured floral print. The former EastEnders star added height to her frame with a pair of purple boots and let her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders. Looking in good spirits as she posed for the cameras, Patsy completed her look with a light palette of makeup. The event comes after Patsy revealed she has been diagnosed with PTSD as she got candid about having 'a bad day' and admitted feeling 'mislead and hurt'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The actress took to her Instagram to share a photo of a sad face emoji, writing in the caption that she had been struggling after 'a hard day'. She wrote: 'Today has been a hard day. Today I feel mislead and hurt. I was diagnosed with PTSD at the end of last year and really turned a major corner and was feeling great. 'I don't feel great today. I feel grateful but sad. Anyone who has dealt with mental health issues and depression will understand and know that you are not alone…. 'When I'm working I feel none of the above.. I've just finished filming. I will meditate and try and raise my frequency to bring positivity back into my life. Today is just a bad day. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that's caused by an extremely stressful or terrifying event — either being part of it or witnessing it. It comes after Patsy said she's given up on hopes of finding a man after being married four times and is now content to 'fill the hole in her soul' alone. The actress called off her engagement to property tycoon fiancé Patric Cassidy last year and said in November that she has no longer has any interest in a relationship. She told Hello!: 'I wouldn't want a relationship, I am not interested. I do believe in love. But for me it's not something I need, I have been on my own a long time and I like my own company. Now, it's just adjusting my life to fill the hole that's in my soul.' She announced her whirlwind engagement to Patric in 2023, where he was said to have popped the question just weeks after their first date. He is thought to have proposed to the former Holby City star in Mayfair seafood restaurant Scott's, before buying the fellow diners champagne to celebrate. The couple then had an official engagement in February, with Patric getting down on one knee on a beachfront surrounded by flowers shaped into a heart. However Patsy was reportedly left 'visibly distressed' at a charity event in June when Patric snatched her diamond engagement ring from her hand during a row. Just weeks later a spokesperson for Patsy told The Sun on Sunday: 'I can confirm they have split, and would appreciate that she is given her privacy regarding the matter. She is currently very busy working.' An insider added to the publication: 'The whirlwind romance has come to a halt and the couple have decided to go their separate ways. She wrote: 'Today has been a hard day. Today I feel mislead and hurt. I was diagnosed with PTSD at the end of last year and really turned a major corner and was feeling great' 'They have a lot of love for one another, but ultimately, she knew that they couldn't make it work in the long-term so felt it was best not to move forward with their relationship. 'Patsy has lots of exciting work opportunities at the moment, and she is throwing herself into her career.' Patsy first married in 1988 when she wed Dan Donovan, from 1980s pop group Big Audio Dynamite. The couple divorced in 1991. She then married Simple Minds front man Jim Kerr in 1992. The couple went on to welcome their son James in 1993, but divorced three years. Arguably her most famous marriage, to Oasis singer Liam Gallagher, came the following year and lasted until 2000. The couple share a son, Lennon. She then married Nineties DJ Jeremy Healy in 2009, but the pair split 10 months after the wedding. Patsy previously spoke candidly about her failed marriages, and earlier this year told The Mirror: 'You don't have to marry all of your boyfriends. 'My goals always been that my sons had a really good relationship with their fathers. 'For me. I haven't spoken or had contact with those men. I am very supportive of their relationships with their fathers, but I don't have one. I like it that way.' The many loves of Patsy Kensit 1. Dan Donovan (1988-1991) The actress first got married in 1988 when she was 22, to Dan Donovan, from 1980s pop group Big Audio Dynamite, but they split in 1991. 2. Jim Kerr (1992-1995) A year later, she married Simple Minds front man Jim Kerr but they divorced three years later. During this marriage, she gave birth to her first son James in 1993. 3. Liam Gallagher (1997-2000) Patsy and Liam married in Marylebone Town Hall and welcomed their son Lennon two years later before divorcing in 2000. 4. Jeremy Healy (2009-2010) It took nine years before she walked down the aisle again, this time marrying Nineties DJ Jeremy Healy. They split just a year later. 5. Patric Cassidy (2022 - 2024) The actress is said to have accepted a proposal from her property tycoon lover, Patric Cassidy, after he got down on one knee during a fish supper but ended things after it became 'too hard'.
Reuters
3 days ago
- Reuters
Shiffrin faced PTSD in recovery from Killington crash
NEW YORK, May 30 (Reuters) - Twice Olympic champion Mikaela Shiffrin was diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder after a grisly crash during a giant slalom race in Killington, Vermont, in November left her with a puncture wound in her abdomen and severe muscle damage. The American wrapped up her season in March with a record-extending 101st World Cup win but wrote in the Players' Tribune, opens new tab on Friday that the crash in Killington - and another suffered at the beginning of 2024 in Cortina - took a mental toll. "Those two crashes maybe built on one another. I talked with my therapist about that, and she let me know that past trauma, or a history of traumatic events, can sometimes affect your reaction to new traumatic events," wrote Shiffrin, who lost her father suddenly in an accident in 2020. "Maybe when I crashed and got that puncture wound, maybe that was kind of a perfect-storm situation for PTSD to take hold. But who knows, really. With all this stuff, there's just a ton of nuance, and so much that we don't know for certain." Shiffrin, who is loved by American fans and praised by her fellow athletes for her upbeat attitude and resilience, said that getting back in the starting gate has helped the most in overcoming "the visions and the images I kept seeing." She wrote that after putting in the work on her mental health, she felt like herself again. "It was just continuing to get back up to the start gate. Just literally the process of going up the mountain and doing the thing I know how to do, again and again," wrote Shiffrin. "I just needed to keep doing it. Needed to keep reminding myself — proving to myself, really — that the vast majority of times when I am training or racing … nothing terrible happens."
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Firefighters tackle Brierley Hill industrial blaze
Firefighters have been tackling a blaze at a commercial premises in the Black Midlands Fire Service said it was called to an incident at Canalside Industrial Estate, Wedgbury Way, Brierley Hill, at about 14:37 BST on 18:30, it said the fire had been extinguished, with crews able to prevent it from spreading to other fire service said the "significant fire" had been in a two-storey brick-built commercial premises which had been "severely affected" by the blaze. More than 30 firefighters attended the scene at the peak of the blaze, with water drawn from the nearby Stourbridge Canal help put it casualties were reported, according to the fire service. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
