October 26, 2024

Employment and Volunteering Officer and Admin officer for Step Forward into Volunteering and Employment, Maria Bezuszko, shares her personal health story – from being told she wasn’t fit for work, to moving up to 26 hours a week:

I’m ready to Step Forward and go it alone. 

I was told I was not fit for work, and that I wouldn’t be for the foreseeable future. This broke me – however with support in the workplace, as well as financial support from employment support allowance I have built up skills, confidence, and time management. 

I have not been cured, I am not better or healthier than I had been, I have simply learned, through volunteering and employment, the ability to manage my health better. 

This enabled me to increase my hours from 11 to 15 last year. My aim longer term was always to get to a point where I could say goodbye to the financial support I had received and step up to the next challenge – 26 hours. 

So, I find myself 4 weeks into my new hours, which includes a new role. Is it hard – yes, is it overwhelming – yes, do I sometimes feel like I’ve taken steps backwards not forwards – yes, but all of this comes with the knowledge that at every point when faced with every challenge getting to this point I have – with support and reasonable adjustments – broken down the barriers and stepped forward, or I have stepped sidewards and moved around the barrier! 

At every turn Step Forward and Cumbria CVS have supported, encouraged, and showed me what is possible. I can manage my time, and my work-life balance, all the time being mindful that I am restricted due to my health – but restricted does not mean unable. It simply means doing things a different way.  

I looked back at some of the things I wrote down when I started to think about trying some volunteering and it amazed me how far I had progressed. 

I realised that although feeling very much in a hopeless place, I did still aspire and dream for the future – all I needed was the encouragement and support of others. I am now providing that support, working with people to realise their dreams and get into volunteering or employment. How do I know it works? – Because I am sat there with them giving support, whereas years ago I was the other of the table – receiving support and at times not believing. 

Hope is a powerful thing, even when you struggle to find it yourself, the support and belief of someone else can draw some hope out of you, it may be filed away for a later date after other interventions have taken place but that hope you didn’t know you had will be there waiting.  

Remember my progress has not been done alone, it is not something I have achieved alone. I have used every opportunity to receive, use and benefit from every area of support available.  

What is success like? My first thought is – not a straight line. Secondly, it will vary, some days success is simply getting out of bed, communicating with someone, or accepting that the day is not going to be a good one. On other days it is up, out of bed, a day’s work, and still a little energy left to enjoy some downtime, or at least a cuddle with Cleo on the sofa!