My name is Chander and I’m 84 years old. I used to volunteer in a care home, I loved going for daily walks in the park and I enjoyed spending time in my garden every day. My daughter said that I spread happiness wherever I went through cooking colourful meals, making jumpers and cardigans for my grandchildren and creating beautiful paintings.
However, my life changed completely when I fell due to low blood pressure whilst I was cooking. I suffered a serious spinal injury which now means that I cannot use my hands and I cannot walk. I began my rehabilitation at the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow, and that’s where I discovered Horatio’s Garden Scotland.
I first visited the garden with my daughter when a volunteer took us to see the plums and the pears that were growing. It was such a beautiful moment – the sky was gold and I felt at peace. I used to love sitting in my garden at home, even when it was freezing cold. Now, being in the courtyard garden in my bed surrounded by nature and the colours of the rainbow makes me feel fresh inside again.
Horatio’s Garden has been a sanctuary for me and my family. It has given me a bit of home away from home where we can all sit peacefully together and enjoy the garden. At a Music Monday session my husband and I were sat in a garden pod listening to the beautifully soft music and we fell asleep together – my daughter said that it was just idyllic.
This is a difficult time for me and my family, but Horatio’s Garden is all about hope, and this is something that we are embracing together.