My name is Portia, I’m 28 years old and I’m a secondary school English teacher. I’ve been in spinal rehabilitation for over 14 months, and I’ve been using Horatio’s Garden and doing lots of activities here ever since I arrived at the Welsh Spinal Cord Injury and Neuro Rehabilitation Centre at University Hospital Llandough, just outside Cardiff.
I became injured because I grew tumours on the nerves in my spine. I had them removed in 2023 and since then, I’ve been on a long journey to recovery. I’ve had several surgeries, which have helped me get to where I am now, and I’m at the point where I’m just starting to walk again, which was my main goal coming in to rehab.
The time I initially spent in hospital wasn’t the best. I actually started off in a hospital in London and then I moved to The Heath. They all had very warm, sort of boxy rooms, with plain walls and I couldn’t really go anywhere outside. I was just desperate to get home really.
Home for me is in Splott, which is just in the centre of Cardiff. I arrived at Llandough at the end of April 2023, which was a massive relief. As soon as I came into the unit, it was bright, it was clean, it was open, and then they told me there was a garden. I was really, really excited. I had to isolate for five days when I arrived, but as soon as that was done, I came to Horatio’s Garden.
My family were visiting and with the help of the NHS team, they brought me outside into the garden for the first time. It was a really nice sunny day, and we just sat in the garden for hours. I’ve been out in the garden nearly every day since. It’s been weird not going home properly at all for over 14 months, but it is nice to be able to go out for the day so I can see people and go to the house if I want to, and for people to be able to come to see me.
My injuries had a big impact on me. I went from walking and being out and about, being able to use my hands, to not doing any of that. I’m having to learn everything again. It’s almost like a child learning how to walk, so you’re quite wobbly and you’re not used to certain ways of moving.
Despite the challenges, it’s also impacted me and my family in a positive way. It’s brought us closer together and I’ve got to see family in Wales that I hadn’t really seen until I had my injury. I usually see everyone at least once a week and we’ve all gone on this journey of recovery together, which is really nice.
It’s definitely taught me a lot too. It’s taught me my values and I’ve changed them in a positive way so that I focus on myself and take time for myself, which is lovely.
Spending time in Horatio’s Garden is a lifesaver. It honestly just brings me joy. I’m a very independent, outdoorsy person, so being able to come outside, just to breathe, or just to cool down, is really, really important. Sometimes I come here to listen to music, or to do some colouring. It’s nice when other people are out here so you can just have a chat and socialise. I’ve spoken to so many people I wouldn’t normally talk to or see on the ward. We’re often all out with our families and friends and it just takes you away from everything and out into this really bright, open space.
Having the garden is really good for your mind. It’s had a huge impact on my mental health, just being able to escape into the garden. It’s insane the difference it’s made. I think it’s brought me out of my shell more, just by talking to lots of different people and enjoying the garden in general.
Talking to Head Gardener Owen has been great too. He’s really knowledgeable! He’s helped me look after my Cheese Plant. She started as a little sapling, but then she grew into a massive sort of trailing plant – we’ve named her Brie! Helping something to grow has had a really positive impact on me, because I feel like I’m looking after something and it takes my mind away from everything, which is lovely. The garden is just a really nice, safe space.
My family and friends still come out to the garden whenever they’re here. They really enjoy it. It’s a quiet space, but it’s also nice for us all to have the chance to mingle. Last summer me and my friends had picnics outside and we all brought food in and sat around the tables together. It was really nice. There’s space for my chair and we can move all the chairs around – it’s just great to have a social space.
I think my family and friends have seen the garden have a huge impact on me too, and it’s helped them. I’ve got an uncle who’s a gardener and he loves to come here and steal ideas from Owen and learn about plants he’s never seen before. I’m always on my phone taking pictures of plants and sending them to him!
The art workshops are brilliant too. They rotate weekly and I really enjoy glass fusing and mosaic making. I’ve made two coasters, two pendants and other bits and bobs in glass fusing – they’re great gifts! I’ve made a few mosaics now too, so I’ve just given one to Horatio’s Garden, which is of the Horatio’s Garden leaf. I’ve also made a bigger one, which is about my journey. It’s got a sea through the middle and on one side it’s dark, representing some of the darker times, and the other side is light, representing the good times.
There’s also a workshop for silk painting, which I had never heard of before! I tried it and you have this sort of frame, and then there’s these gold lines which stop the paint going over the lines. It’s great and these also make for really lovely gifts.
All the art workshops have helped me with my hands massively. When I first started, my hands were sort of curled up and now I’ve got near enough normal function. It’s really nice for the people who run the workshops to see our change, because when we don’t see it ourselves, they’re like “oh my god, you’ve changed so much!” It gives you a real positive boost. I think each thing you make is just like a milestone. You see how far you’ve come; how much help you needed, and then how much you don’t need. It’s just brilliant and they’re little keepsakes for the journey.
There are lots of memories of the garden that will stay with me forever. We’ve had so many laughs here and whenever our families are all together, it just makes everyone happy.
I’m hoping to go back to work in September 2024. I will have been away for 17 months by then, so I’m really looking forward to getting back to teaching. One of the harder things is that I will have to change my living situation, which is tough, but we’re getting there. I’m trying to find somewhere with a garden because the garden here is benefitting me so much. I need that open space with some plants and flowers.
I’ll definitely keep in touch with all the friends I’ve made here too; people who are aged 18, right through to people in their 70s. They’re friends you wouldn’t necessarily make in the outside world, and they’re friends I’ll keep for life. They’re like family and it’s like home here, because of all the memories we’ve made and all the time we spend together. No one else understands you like they do. I’m just so grateful that such a difficult situation has made such a beautiful place, a place for everyone to be and to share memories together.
