I was a professional cricket player until 2001, playing for both Ireland and Sussex. After my retirement from sport, I had a bit of a change in direction and decided to train as a PE teacher. I had always loved sport and wanted to instil that passion in the next generation of kids coming through.
Andrew
Sadly in 2013 I was diagnosed with hereditary spastic paraplegia, which means my brain no longer sends the usual messages to my legs. As a result, this causes weakness in the muscles, which gets progressively worse over time. Until 2018 it was only close friends and family who knew about my condition. However, when I got to the point where I needed walking aids to get around, I had to tell people.
I think what I struggled with the most was the impact on my family. I am a dad of three and was becoming unable to do the things with my kids I had been able to do before. This was especially the case with my youngest. I missed being physical with them – teaching them things. I also couldn’t teach sport in school anymore, which I loved. All of this was hard to come to terms with.
In 2022, I discovered there was the possibility of having surgery in America, but given the stage of my condition, there was a small window of opportunity to do this. My incredible daughter ran two half marathons to raise money, and I also received financial support from the Professional Cricketers’ Association. The surgery on my spinal cord severed two thirds of the nerve to the brain that leads to movement in your legs. After that, I had to learn to move and walk again, and the rehabilitation has been intense.
My prognosis before the surgery was that I would be completely wheelchair bound. However, it’s enabled me to walk about 20-30 metres on crutches, which makes a huge difference to my life. For instance, I can now go out to dinner in a restaurant with my family and not use my wheelchair.
Andrew
I think the inspiration to train as a listening volunteer came from my condition. I had received so much support myself, which really helped, so I wanted to give back and help others. Most of my shifts were late in the evening or early morning, because of my school hours. I enjoyed the training and actually trained with a guy who turned out to be my neighbour. He knew my wife from her daily dog walks, so it’s a small world.
I don’t think being a Samaritans volunteer gets the kudos it deserves, nor do people realise how vital a service it is. There is one call that really sticks in my mind that was with a woman over Christmas. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer but none of her family and friends knew, as she didn’t want to ruin their day. I think she had called Samaritans as she just needed someone she could confide in and vent to. I listened to her, and we talked things through. It was incredibly sad, but I felt by the end of the call she felt reassured and was in a better place, knowing what to do.
The power of listening is incredible, and Samaritans provides a platform where people can just speak. When callers say things out loud if often helps them to reach a solution themselves. I think the most rewarding aspect is hearing a change in the tone of a person’s voice from the start of a call to the end.
Being a Samaritan has really taught me how to listen – and listening is a skill in itself. I’ve also learnt not to be afraid of awkward silences. In the past I would always want to fill these gaps but remaining quiet and letting someone speak is so much more beneficial. I can use that training and those skills in a lot of situations.
I do a lot to support young people in schools and colleges with their mental health – not just at the school I teach at. I go and give talks, which I really enjoy and the feedback I receive is so heartening. There is so much pressure on kids today, especially with things like exams. They feel they need to perform in a certain way and there’s expectations from parents and teachers. Social media can also be a big problem for youngsters, and I’ve often heard from pupils that when they’ve taken a break from it, it really has made a big difference to their mental health.
My talks tend to focus on how to deal with adversity and how to handle pressurised situations, like exams. I tell them about my experience, the journey I’ve been on and what I’ve learnt. I’m a huge believer in things happening for a reason, and perhaps with everything I have been through myself, it has brought me to this, using my own situation to help others.
I try and teach them techniques of what to do when times get hard. I’ll encourage them to draw on a past situation where they thought it was the be-all and end-all, but now looking back, hopefully it wasn’t. Next time they’re in a difficult situation, they’ll remember that they can get through it and there is support out there.
Every year my school picks a charity to raise money for and last year we chose Samaritans. It was a great opportunity to not only raise funds for the vital service they provide, but also raise awareness amongst the pupils that Samaritans don’t just deal with suicide, they’re also there to support people with their mental wellbeing. We do things like cake sales, non-uniform days, and then there is an annual talent show. It’s a bit like Britain’s Got Talent with the whole school involved, and family and friends can come along. We ended up raising £4,800 for Samaritans.
Looking ahead, I want to continue to work in education, but I think over the next few years I will try to go part time in my school role. This will enable me to do more talks and go out and speak with young people in sixth forms and universities, and I’m also keen to work with businesses. I’m fortunate to have great support around me, especially from my family, however not everyone has this.
I really hope in the future I can continue to help those who might be struggling.
