The impressive feat allowed Andy Walker, from Oldham, to raise money for people affected by Motor Neurone Disease, specifically the Rob Burrow Centre at Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, raising more than £14,000 in the process.
Andy was left paralysed from the neck down following a diving accident in Goa in 2006. Following extensive rehabilitation and recovery, a personal health budget (PHB), funded by the ‘continuing healthcare’ team at NHS GM, allowed him the freedom to manage his healthcare and support in a way that suited him.
Now aged 47, Andy has achieved so much including bouts of sailing, mountain climbing (Mount Kilimanjaro, Snowden), skiing, microlite flying, acting in ITV drama Emmerdale, motivational speaking, and many more activities with his charity work.
He has even launched a consultancy business to provide his services as a motivational speaker and diversity consultant.
Andy said…
“A personal health budget has helped me to not only live my dreams, but to support many individuals, families, students, staff members and people working within the public sector alongside charitable organisations to achieve theirs.
“For me, having those basic life skills and inspirational peers was absolutely key. I wanted to use the experiences positively to help others and my aim is to motivate people to reach their potential in the work environment, education or simply within your personal life.”
A personal health budget – funded by NHS organisations – allows people to manage their healthcare and support such as treatments, equipment and personal care, in a way that suits them. It works in a similar way to personal budgets and direct payments, which allow people to manage and pay for their social care needs.
Mandy Philbin, our Chief Nursing Officer said…
“It’s stories like this that really inspire myself and my colleagues to do everything we can to support people to plan their own support for their health and wellbeing needs.
“Andy’s story is incredibly moving and I hope it gives inspiration to others to follow in his footsteps. We will work closely with anyone who is eligible for a personal health budget to plan how the person spends the money and gets the care they need.”
Learn more.
Learn more about personal health budgets.
