Now life obviously got complicated in regards to employment. I had quit my very comfortable job at the school in order to join the police and then I was hospitalised and diagnosed. This majorly changed my plans. When I came out of hospital, I had an interview for another place of work within the first two weeks and managed to get the job! I was absolutely ecstatic. I would now be working as a residential care worker for the same company that Jordan works for. Very happy.
Now came the return to work.
Had I got sick while I was in employment, there is almost no question that I would have been put on a phased return to work when I came out of hospital. Quite what that would have looked like, I am not sure but there is no doubt that I would have been on some kind of phased return to ensure that I was in good enough health to be at work and that I didn’t over work myself.
This is where there was a problem, I was no longer in employment and this meant no phased return to me. Dilemma.
Pre Ulcerative Colitis, I had a number of jobs, I worked as a summer camp leader, a referee, the job at the school and then I also worked at the Sportspark in Norwich as a summer camp leader as well as running parties. The Sportspark is a local leisure centre to me and I have worked there for just over a year. I only work part time as casual staff but I saw an opportunity.
The Sportspark was running a Sportscamp for the children of NHS workers, providing them with care during the pandemic. So I contacted my boss at the Sportspark and queried whether I might be able to do a couple of shifts. The Sportspark were great and offered me shifts straight away!
So I started to slowly phase my own return back to work. I literally felt like a genius. I started with just working one short shift a week and then worked my way up to working a couple but with a day in between and then working multiple shifts on the go. It went swimmingly well and I didnt get over worked which allowed me to gain my confidence to get back into the work force. It allowed me to realise that I would be able to work again, that I would be able to live that magical phrase of a “normal” life.
Now just to start at the new place full time… more on that to come! How exciting…