Fourteen brain ops won’t stop me from going back to work
B&M worker Allison has her zest for life again
A Wishaw mum who battled back to work after surviving life-saving brain surgery has walked away with a top award.
Allison Mcclair, 44, received the Significant Achievement Award at the Routes to Work event to mark her “strength, determination and resilience in overcoming obstacles”.
The mum-of-one, who has had 14 brain operations throughout her life, used the service after her health problems resurfaced last year.
Allison said: “I have a shunt in my brain and I’ve had a lot of operations in the past so I’ve always had problems.
“Last year I took voluntary redundancy from my work in a pharmacy .
“However, from March to July I was really struggling with my health.
“I couldn’t see properly and I just felt terrible. But my son is only eight so I had to just carry on.
“I was having dizzy spells and could barely see some days. It was frightening.
“In July I took myself to Wishaw General and they told me that the shunt was blocked and I had fluid on the brain.
“Within 20 minutes I was at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Glasgow and getting ready for surgery.
“It all happened incredibly quickly.”
After spending several days in hospital, Allison returned to her home in Greenhead Road with orders to “take it easy”.
However, she was desperate to return to work and sought help from the Routes to Work service.
And the hard work paid off when she managed to gain employment – but the help from the service didn’t stop there.
“I was seriously ill but I had to find another job,” said Allison.
“I had staples in my head so I had to wait and get them out.
“I was starting to get desperate and really worry about money. How was I going to provide for my son?
“Eventually I got started with B&M’S in October after help from the Routes to Work team.
“But because it was coming up to Christmas I was struggling to pay for food and presents for my son.
“I wanted to give my son the best Christmas possible so I was worried.
“Routes to Work stepped in and gave me vouchers for food and made sure that I was sorted, which was a big relief.
“Now I’m back on my feet and in a good place. I absolutely love my job and work with a great group of people.”
Routes to Work’s Prospects programme supported over 3,000 people into employment between April 2016 and December 2018, with over 40 per cent of jobs going to unemployed residents aged 16-29.
An average of 70 per cent of participants are still in employment 26 weeks after starting their job.
“Routes to Work has transformed the lives of more than 18,000 North Lanarkshire residents in the last 16 years, and we pride ourselves in progressing our clients to help support them achieve their personal and professional goals,” said Routes to Work manager Robin Turner.
“Our team of expert staff work with individuals to provide training, advice and practical and personal support to help find a job that suits their skills and circumstances.
“At our open day, some of the people we have helped were on hand to tell their success stories and achievements, giving a personal insight into the impact of our services.
“The aim of the event was to show the benefits we can offer er and encourage more businesses es and agencies to work with us to o improve employment prospects s for unemployed people across s North Lanarkshire and support t the local economy.”
Anyone who wants more e information on the service e should call 0800 783 4731 or r call in to the office at the former r Craigneuk Library.
Now I’m back on my feet and in a good place. I absolutely love my job and work with a great group of people