‘Anything is possible if you put your mind to it’
A Blog by Sophie from Waterloo Manor
I was admitted to Hospital over a year ago and back then it felt like almost everything was impossible. Things were so overwhelming, I didn’t think I’d achieve any of my dreams and goals. Despite everything, I soon realised I could not just give up, I still have my whole life ahead of me and wanted to keep myself motivated.
The first step was engaging in my treatment plan, attending therapy sessions and OT groups with others. This started to make me feel more myself. A short while later, one of the OT team asked about my other interests and hobbies. They introduced me to online courses which can be done at your own pace.
I have a strong passion for Horses and worked with them for many years. We then came across an online Horse Care course ‘Horse Care and Stable management Level 3’. I felt confident enough to sign up to the course and it felt great to be able to study this in hospital alongside progressing through my recovery.
The course involved learning about lots of aspects of Horse Care such as; bedding, feed, animal welfare, law, stable environment conditions etc. There were 12 modules in total, each of which took at least an hour to complete, and were each followed by a quick assessment. Once I had completed the whole course, I took a mock test and then my final course assessment. I achieved a distinction on my mock test which I was really pleased with, but upon completing my final exam, was rewarded with a higher distinction and certificate!
I was overjoyed with this result and it just shows that hard work does pay off no matter what your circumstances are. I wanted to share my story to inspire and encourage others who may be in hospital and prove that you can still achieve your goals.
Life does not have to stop just because you are not home yet.