When Cory Whitworth was asked to speak about the benefits of Fire Fighters Charity to a group of new recruits in 2022, he jumped at the chance, having seen the support we’ve offered colleagues of his.
However, he never could have expected he’d need that support himself just a month later.
Cory, 26, a firefighter with Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service, feared his career may be cut short when he was injured playing rugby in August 2022. However, he says online and face-to-face physiotherapy support from our team helped him get back to fitness faster than he dreamed possible.
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“I was playing rugby when I injured myself,” says Cory. “Someone fell into me and my leg broke. The way it happened – I was running at the time – it also dislocated my ankle. It was a complete mess. I’ve had to have a load of metal work to stabilise the whole thing.
“I had played rugby since I was five, but I’ll never play again now. I was mainly worried that it might impact my career is a firefighter though – that thought really terrified me.”
Suddenly facing the prospect of months off work, and no clear end in sight, Cory says he really struggled to come to terms with everything, and it had a direct impact on his mental health too.
“I had to have a TRiM (Trauma Risk Management Overview) put in, as crazy as it sounds, which is the same trauma management that they put in if you’ve been to a bad job and seen bad things,” says Cory. “Everything had stopped for me – I was in my probation and a couple of months off finishing it, then the surgeon told me I wouldn’t walk until Christmas and I obviously had no idea what it would mean for my work.
“I’d be going to the gym twice a day and being mega active and all of a sudden I was bedbound and not really moving at all – I didn’t handle it too well at the time to be honest.”
Fortunately, Cory had known about the support we offer beneficiaries like him from the moment he joined the fire service, having taken part in fundraisers from word go. He got in touch with us during his recovery, to see how we could help.
“I started receiving video calls once a week to do some physio and exercises which was fantastic,” says Cory. “The NHS are so busy, so this was exactly what I needed. Without the charity’s help, I’d have spent longer in bed not daring to put weight on my leg – they gave me the confidence and skill to know what I was doing.
“It was a complete breath of fresh air essentially because you had somebody who was a lot more personal and reassuring you. If I hadn’t had this, I wouldn’t have been back at work nearly as quick as I was.
“I believe a lot of healing is in your mind and because I knew I was having help from the charity, it felt like something to work towards. I was putting an alarm on at 1am every day to do some stretches in the middle of the night! It just gave me that drive back.”
Following the video calls, Cory was invited to Jubilee House, our centre in Cumbria, at the end of October 2022 to continue his rehabilitation.
“When you first go, you don’t know what to expect but you soon fit in,” he adds. “I made the most unlikely of friends. I’m 26 and just really joined, and I’m still talking now to a 60-year-old who was at the end of his career. I was wanting to get back to work to start things up again, and he was wanting to get back to be able to retire on the job and not on sick.
“For that week I wasn’t hurt – it felt like normal life. You’re able to do stuff again, they know your limits and work to those.
“I actually managed to get back to work around three and a half months later, in the December, and I’m fully back on the run now. That’s honestly largely down to the help I had from the charity.”
Looking back to a month before his accident, Cory recalls: “I went in to help run a recruit course, right before my accident, and I was talking about the charity. I said, ‘I know it seems like a lot, giving £8 a month or whatever, but if I or my friends ever needed it, I’d like to know it’s there’.
“Then literally a month later, I did need it! It shows just how important it is to donate what you can. You never know when you might need it too.”
If you feel you’d benefit from mental health support, we may be able to help you. Call our Support Line on 0800 389 8820, make an enquiry online or register for MyFFC now and visit the ‘Access Support’ tab at the top of the MyFFC homepage.
You can also join our ‘Share Your Story’ Group in MyFFC, by clicking on the ‘Groups’ tab, to chat to others who have received our support or enquire about sharing your own story.