Stories & Achievements: Lyn’s Story
Lyn’s story: keeping a sense of humour
Lyn has been with Headstart for 16 years after a stroke rocked her world. And she’s certainly rocked ours (in a good way!) as her wicked sense of humour keeps us smiling. We caught up with Lyn and her husband Wayne, also Lyn’s carer.
Lyn: I had an aneurysm which was a bleed to the brain and also a stroke. I can’t remember any of it. Thank God. It did change my lifestyle, the things I do with the grandchildren and what my husband Wayne’s got to put up with me, you know, caring for me like this. I used to manage a pharmacy and I can’t do that anymore. It’d be dangerous to put me in that – they’d probably want pimple cream and I’d give them an enema or something. I’ve been married to Wayne for 40 years. You don’t even get that for murder!
Wayne: When we’ve been out walking some people that we’ve known for years have seen us coming and gone the other way.Perhaps they don’t want to speak or they’re a bit embarrassed. I don’t know. People brain injuries are still people. We may not have the same communication with Lyn as we used to have, but it still upsets you, because these people are your friends.
“At least he’s still here with me. A lot of people would have just shot through or put me into a nursing homes. So thank God they didn’t do that to me. - Lyn”
Wayne: One thing’s for sure, Lyn will never go to a nursing home. Not with the close family she’s got. I still work cleaning casually. But you just adapt. I look after Lyn and she comes first. I get her up organized in the morning. The support workers come in and take her out for the day that’s when I get my break. I get to recharge. If you didn’t have Headstart - or the NDIS that can fund it - that would certainly knock you around because you need it. You need these breaks. I’ve never experienced anyone with a brain injury until Lyn and really, it can get you down.
We’re still paying these house off. It’s just it’s a struggle all the time, especially money-wise. We stay home most of the time and it’s just one of those things that we’ve had to deal with in the last 16 years. We’ve had to acclimatise to this. We were very social you know, tied up with football clubs and netball and nippers. We were always out but now we just stay at home.
Lyn: We did everything with the kids: nippers, sport.
Wayne: Yeah, just the kids that we all were very much affected. Kylie was just pregnant with Lily at the time and it happened. Her mother (Lyn) did everything for her before that and bought stuff like cots and whatever. So it does affect them, for sure. Headstart are the best, there’s a few of the support workers, especially Adrienne. She’s been the backbone and she’s great. There’s not a problem, you ring up and everything’s solved quickly.
Lyn: All the support workers are good. They’ll all be getting long service out of me now, wouldn’t they? They reckon I’m better now than what I was. I’d hate to know what I was like before. I don’t remember any of it (my accident), thank God.
Wayne: The first three or four years - until medication kicked in - she cried all the time. She still has her off days though. Lyn has different phases where it’s exactly the same as the day before. So some things she’ll just repeat over and over. At the moment it’s about the bathroom.
The NDIS have helped us with a new bathroom and that’s a big help. It was a very confined space in there. She’s fallen a lot in the past, gone through the glass and nearly lost a finger. So it’s time that happened.
Lyn: I feel really good and confident having a shower without falling. One thing I miss is not being able to have a bath because Wayne can’t lift me in.
I love doing mosaics. You know, at least it’s something that I can do with one arm. One of my support workers from Headstart cuts all the tiles for me ‘cos with one arm I can’t hold them or cut them. So she does all that for me. And then we both normally grout together. That’s a nasty job. The support workers come up with their patterns and then I come up with my patterns.
“I’m getting very trendy now. I got second prize in the Newcastle Show! So it’ll kill me to get first prize now. ”
People get a shock because my mother’s 80th birthday I did her a big flower and then one of my other aunties was 80 and I did her a pot. So I think things like that you know, that are made for people compared to buying you know, they get more of a thrill to think I’m the one with one arm and the brain injury.
Wayne: Lyn’s mosaic’s have been a saviour for her and the more she does it the better she is. It’s helped a hell of a lot.
That and just getting out and about. She loves to be out, hates being at home. Like Lyn can spend Sunday with a support worker from 8am until 4pm. She’ll come home at 4pm and want to go out again!
Watch this short video to discover more about Lyn’s love of mosaics.
