Keith Shields always dreamt of being a firefighter, so when a spate of ill health threatened to end his career, he says the toll it had on his mental health was huge.
However, he joined one of our online Hope Programmes, focused on improving mental wellbeing, and says it was the boost he needed to look ahead and move past the challenges he’d been facing.
Keith, 49, who works for Northern Ireland FRS as a wholetime firefighter, now hopes by sharing his story, he’ll encourage other people like him to reach out for support as early as possible.
Donate now to support more people like Keith
“I’m the type of person that never asks for help, but countless people who have had support – both retired and in the job – have suggested I get in touch,” says Keith.
“I got Covid in August 2021. I remember doing a night shift and feeling a bit off. I got home and within two days I was really sick. I lost a week of my life essentially, I was bedbound and I can’t remember any of it – I was like a zombie.
“For some reason I completely refused to go to hospital, but I lost about a stone and a half of weight because I just couldn’t eat anything – with a lot of sickness.”
Keith says his symptoms continued long after they should have done, and he was eventually told it had developed into ‘Long Covid’.
“I had a consultation with my GP and I remember finding it very difficult to speak. I was completely out of breath and a lot of brain fog,” he adds. “My partner would tell me something then an hour later I’d ask her the same question. I couldn’t remember it. That went on for two or three months.
Keith began to feel better around December that year and was looking to start training again, to get back on the run. However, he began noticing an unusual heaviness in his chest.
“I tried to ignore it and just get on with it, but just before Christmas the pain got worse and spread, so I knew it was a bit more serious,” says Keith. “The January of 2022 I spoke to my GP, and they eventually told me I had unstable angina. I remember getting that phone call still now and my first thought was worrying if it would mean the end of my career.
“It hit me like a tonne of bricks and last year was just awful from there really.”
Keith was rushed to hospital twice around that time, amid fears he was having a heart attack. Luckily it wasn’t and he’s since been told he had three blocked arteries, for which he’s had two stents fitted.
“I didn’t know if I was ever going to get back to work again,” he says. “I was breaking down in tears thinking, ‘my career is gone’. Coupling that with all the health checks, and then the diagnosis which left me terrified from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to bed that I’d have a heart attack, it was a really difficult time.
“I’m normally very active, even round the house, I need to be doing something all the time, so having that worry all the time about exerting myself too much was a nightmare.”
Keith had followed us for years throughout his career, and ended up seeing one of our Facebook posts about out Hope Programme last year.
You can read about our Hope Programme here
“I remember seeing it and thinking it would be ideal. I knew I needed it,” adds Keith. “Mentally wise, I was in a bad place. There was just so much fear, anxiety and stress.
“It started on the day I was having my stents finished, so I was a bit anxious I’d fall behind – but I didn’t need to be. The support from them was fantastic and you really do time it to fit you. I did it completely at my own pace and there was no pressure. Even when the six weeks were over, I knew all the information was there for another four weeks.
“It removed all the anxiety and pressure, which is exactly what you need when you’re feeling stressed and anxious already.”
Keith’s now taken away tools for everyday life and still does the mindfulness videos on YouTube.
“The goal-setting, in particular, was one of the biggest lessons I took away,” he adds. “I’ve always been one of these people that sees jobs come in and I want to get them done now… and that caused a lot of stress. But it taught me to pace myself and set realistic goals, which I’ve been doing ever since.
“I donate every month and in return, I know that help is there for me whenever I need it.”
Keith Shields
“It actually identified one of the biggest issues I had in my life, and found a way of dealing with it.”
Keith’s had to start from scratch with his fitness, but says he’s working up to try and go back on the run. He’s returned to work on modified duties in the meantime.
“Everybody is going through their own small personal hells, and a lot of people bottle them up and don’t ask for support – myself included,” says Keith. “But it’s there, it’s there through the charity. I donate every month and in return, I know that help is there for me whenever I need it. That’s so valuable.”
To find out more about the Hope Programme, or top join a future one, click here: