My name is Robin Galbraith. I am 58 years old and I’m from the town of Biggar, where I have worked my entire life – since I left school – in our family-run textile manufacturing company.
I was visiting New York with my family on Christmas Day when I had a freak accident. I tripped and fell over a wall. I flew back in January and went straight to the high dependency ward in Glasgow.
Initially I couldn’t breathe on my own or speak or move any of my limbs. The time spent in the ward was pretty bleak. There are photos of me lying there and it’s incredible how lifeless I was, but I still had a smile on my face though. I’ve come a long way since then and I’m very happy with my progress.
Even while I was on the high dependency ward I would look out of the window, right into the courtyard garden and it was lovely. I could see the seasons changing from winter, to spring, to summer. As soon as I could get mobile, I was using the gardens, and even before that I asked to be pushed out there. Nowadays, the courtyard garden is a welcome treat and a space to recuperate, especially when there’s cake on the go, after hand therapy or physiotherapy on a Friday. There are certain areas of this hospital that don’t feel like a hospital and it’s all due to this garden.
I tend to meet my family here; we like to gather round the table in the conservatory. It’s nice and private, away from the rest of the hospital – you can talk to your family about personal things – things that worry you. I will always remember sitting in here with my family the time I showed them a video of me walking. The faces of my daughters and my son were a picture which I’ll never forget.
I’ll miss a lot of things that I can’t do and won’t be able to do. I used to be so active; I played golf, travelled, and I took my son everywhere – swimming, hill walking, bird watching in Mull and Boat of Garton. I know my life has changed a lot because of this, but it’s not going to keep me down. I’ve been making progress learning to use my hands again, and I’m now walking steps in a lightweight Zimmer frame due to the incredible hand therapy and physiotherapy routine they gave me at the spinal injuries unit, and there are still more gains to be made from my hands and legs – other goals to reach.
To other people facing life-changing injuries, I would say, you really have to realise that life still goes on, and that life can still be worth going on for. Keeping a positive attitude is key to this kind of injury. As my wife always says, get through it as best you can, and you will come out the other side better for it.
