Stroke survivor praises research at conference

March 6, 2019

As featured in The Birmingham Mail: 

A former Sandwell Hospital patient and staff member is helping to spread the word about the value of research following her recovery from a stroke.

Shena Davidson suffered a stroke in 2016 whilst working as a healthcare assistant at Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust. Her stroke left her at first unable to walk, talk or carry out simple daily tasks.

Despite initially feeling isolated and alone, Shena was approached by the Clinical Research Network (CRN) West Midlands about taking part in their activities. She enjoyed it so much she decided to throw herself into becoming a fully-fledged Patient Research Ambassador, working closely with CRN.

Recently Shena, who has made a full recovery, helped organise the ‘I Am Research’ conference held at Pannel Croft Village in Birmingham, where she is a resident and leads the village’s community choir, which consists of and supports stroke survivors. They hold regular fundraising concerts.

The conference featured presentations from experts and case studies from beneficiaries of research, as well as a performance from Shena’s choir.