Patient Ambassador
Catrina Farnell found our charity seven years after her cauda equina syndrome surgery. Catrina had become isolated at home, rarely going out but somehow found the courage to start volunteering for the charity.
Catrina played a key role in our national BBC News story with Clive Coleman and his team, enabling us for the first time to share our collective story publicly, raising awareness and helping us drive forward change.
Since flying the charity nest Catrina has found herself a new paid role and career moving forwards. She is now the Manager of People First Keighley where she works to support adults with learning disabilities, helping them to put their health and well-being in their own hands. She is also a proud Ambassador for Bradford District Foundation Care Trust as well as a patient representative in their Patient Involvement Strategic Group.
Keeping busy and spreading her positivity Catrina also volunteers for the Bradford Hate Crime Alliance and sits on the Bradford Safeguarding Voice Group.
‘’Being an Ambassador for Cauda Equina Champions Charity is an incredibly high honour. I have benefitted personally from their work, I have been supported, guided and empowered by them. Fighting the physical, emotional and social ramifications of CES on my own was hard. I tried to explain to those around me what it was felt like but they never fully understood the extent of my pain. Then, by chance I found this group of people led by Claire who showed me I wasn’t alone, that there was still so much possible. They were proof. They changed my life.
To now have the chance to be there for someone else, to give back to the charity that gave me so much, to make a difference by being a CECC Ambassador, well it really means the world to me. Thank you’’ says Catrina.
Catrina shared her journey in a national BBC news story with Clive Coleman, where the amount of harm from delayed and misdiagnosis of cauda equina syndrome was made public for the first time, please see video here.
Since flying the charity nest Catrina obtained a paid role at People First, Keighley as a Health Campaigner and more recently has been promoted to Charity Manager. This is amazing news and we are so proud of her!
