When I was 18 my mum went into a coma for six months. During Covid-19 lockdown she had a tooth abscess, and it became necrotising fasciitis.
Because of how serious it was, when the doctors saw her, they put her in a medical induced coma. She woke up naturally two or three months later, but there were more complications, so she had to be put in another coma and had to have a lung drain, which gave her a five per cent chance of survival.
I was living with her at the time. When my mum went into hospital, I was at home on my own. My grandma was dealing with the loss of her dad, my great grandad, and my sister moved out with her boyfriend, so I had to instantly get used to adult life: cooking, cleaning, paying bills and sorting my pets out.
Evicted from home
Everything was in my mum’s name. We were able to get my mum’s bank card and details. Rent was looked after by my grandma, so if I needed money for shopping my grandma was able to help me with the cash.
Honestly, I felt scared because every morning I was waking up with the thought in the back of my head saying, please don’t let there be a phone call saying she had gone. I think she was put in about three different comas.
Then there was an incident with my mum when she came back home. I don’t know why it happened, but it did, out-of-the-blue, and the landlady decided to evict us. Because I wasn’t the main tenant, I couldn’t take over.
My mum went into hospital and we decided I should spread my wings, so I started looking for private rented place, but because I was unemployed and on universal credit, it was difficult because I didn’t have any ID. I had dropped out of college because when mum came out of the coma, she still wasn’t well. There were days I had to call my tutor and said I had to go home because my mum had fallen over.
I was able to finish my first year of college, but a month or two into the second year I called my college worker to one side I said I needed to drop out to focus on becoming my mum’s carer. It affected my ability to get a job. Luckily, my mum is much better now.
Work experience at Emmaus
I came to Emmaus because of what the charity does, it gives people the references, the knowledge and experience to find a permanent job. My support worker at Emmaus helps me progress by helping me set goals and achievements to try to reach.
The work experience aspect of Emmaus is the most valuable for me. Mainly I’m on the till in the furniture part of Emmaus Department Store. I like the customer service, greeting customers, sorting out the purchases and deliveries. We get regulars who come in. They come to us and rely on us for what we provide in the Department Store.
I am learning new skills like pricing up and working on the tills, I’ve had experience in the warehouse too. I’d like to do some of the training courses at Emmaus in the future.
It’s nice contributing to a charity. It’s valuable because it does get you into a routine. It puts more experience onto your CV for when you’re ready to move on from Emmaus for when you find a job.
Living with other people at the Emmaus community home is valuable too. If you move in and you’re quiet and just stick to yourself, talking to other people brings you out of that shell.
Thank you for supporting Emmaus
What I want to say to Emmaus supporters is that it’s fantastic what you’re doing and the help you give people here. Thank you for donating, volunteering or being a partner of the charity.
Without Emmaus, life could be so much worse. There are lots of people living on the streets with absolutely nothing. Whether it is summer or winter, you get rain all year round in this country, it’s cold and people’s health on the streets deteriorates quickly.
I think my mum would be proud of where I am now and that I have stayed strong and kept my chin up and faced forwards.