Peer Support Worker Tom has shared his 'Survivor Story' with Emilia Clarke's SameYou Foundation

Meet Thomas Cooney, one of our brilliant Peer Support Workers. Tom has suffered two traumatic brain injuries in his life, and he uses his experience to help other people. 

To mark World Mental Health Day - which this year is focussing on prioritising good mental health in the workplace - Tom has shared his thoughts with the SameYou Foundation. SameYou is a brain injury recovery charity, launched by actress Emilia Clarke MBE after she survived two life-threatening brain haemorrhages while working on the Game of Thrones television series.

Tom is being featured as one of the charity's Survivor Stories. He is exceptionally positive about how work has helped him with his recovery: “A key highlight of my recovery is my successful interview at Workbridge to become a Peer Support Worker. It’s enabled me to go from a Service User to becoming a paid member of staff.”

Read Tom's full Survivor Story below and here.

I have suffered two traumatic brain injuries (TBI’s) in my life. The first was in 2002, when I sustained a serious TBI after being assaulted. The second was during my penultimate university summer holidays in 2008; after cycling into a wall at the end of a sloping decline and falling 20 feet, I sustained a severe diffuse axonal injury, and significant damage to my cerebellum. 

One of the central ‘bothersome’ deficits I experience is that I get easily confused. This is following my second TBI and manifests in a plethora of differing ways, which is most impeding as it makes things more problematic. I have difficulties with forward planning, balance and poor memory, which are things a lot of people recovering from a brain injury experience. There’s a wealth of other problems I live with, however I’ve never been one to feel sorry for myself. 

I’m aware that feeling sorry for yourself is only going to bring on low mood, which isn’t going to enable you to overcome the hurdles you face.  

I’ve had a number of specialists involved with my recovery over the past 21 years since sustaining my first TBI. My initial consultant recommended I go to university and “work as a clinical psychologist with me”. This was when I was stuck in two minds as to what to do with my life. When I presented him with the quandary of whether to do psychology or philosophy, he said the above to me which had me undertake an access to higher education course. I’ve seen a selection of different clinical psychologists over these 21 years. 

I enjoy listening to ‘good music’ but what’s considered good is very much a product of a person’s tastes, which can be incredibly varied. Afterall, we are all uniquely idiosyncratic human beings, which is why no two brain injuries are ever the same. My central goal is about recovering as well as I can, so I can help others who find themselves in similar positions. This is partly why I’m immensely intrigued by the ‘SameYou’ movement. Getting brain injuries more acknowledged within societal consciousness is something that would make the lives of those affected less fraught.  

Intertwined with this, is the intrinsic pleasure from being able to help others who find themselves in similar positions that I was in.  

I’m the youngest of six—four elder sisters and one elder brother. While family is a great source of support, I’m also mindful of the fact that I have several nephews and nieces. While I have the needs I have, my nephews and nieces are what’s of greatest importance to me—they are the future after all.  

I live in care and I’m not one bit ashamed of that. I’m incredibly self-confident, which enables me to wear my brain injury without shame. I’m incredibly fortunate—things could be a whole lot worse.  

It’s been through tenaciousness that I’ve been able to get to where I am today. I know to concentrate on my strengths to overcome or even negate the weaknesses.  

Another source of support which has afforded me great success is my work at Workbridge which is part of St Andrew’s Healthcare. It’s enabled me to go from a Service User to becoming a paid member of staff. 

I feel everything I’ve experienced in my life has been for a reason: I can now use my gifts to help others who find themselves in similar plights to what I’ve found myself in. 

One of the key highs that comes to mind is my successful interview at Workbridge to become a Peer Support Worker. The successful completion of the ImROC training course, was another high. More the affirmation that I did still have it, and much of my premorbid intellect had not been affected by my TBIs. My brain injuries had just provided me with exceptional insight of what living with a TBI, encompassed. This unique ‘expert by experience’ interwoven with my other idiosyncratic strengths, formulated a very imposing synthesis which is me, with a great desire to bring hope and aspiration into the lives of others. I am also in the process of writing a book about my lived experience.  

Due to the organic damage from my brain injuries, there have been a litany of differing lows that I’ve experienced; these lows, however, haven’t prevented me from maintaining my steely determination to get to where I want to get to. When I look back with hindsight, I can see that these lows had a purpose and without them it wouldn’t have been possible for me to grow as a human being. I’m now in a better position to support others so they can do great things with their lives.  

Something that’s stuck with me throughout my recovery journey is something I was once told by a very important person in my life. After finding out I had sustained my second TBI she remarked how “eternally optimistic” I was. Be this a genetic trait, or something that I’d learnt, she was right. My glass has always been half-full, an imperative resource to draw upon when recovering from a brain injury.

I could sit here and reel off an abundance of things to remember when recovering from a brain injury, but that annuls the individualistic nature of brain injury. What’s important to remember is that brain injuries are as unique as you are, and your ability to overcome this challenge is as equally bespoke.  

My best piece of advice would be to concentrate on your strengths and enable them to overcome your deficits. 

One important quote that I’d like to share is: “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. If you remember this when recovering from your brain injury, it’ll hold you in good stead. Recovery can be long and, at times, seemingly impossible but if you just remember that “Rome wasn’t built in a day” you’ll take the necessary baby steps to overcome your challenges. You’ll arrive at your destination with a lot less strife.