Heartbeat: Stroke survivor Shena sings the praises of research at local conference

March 11, 2019

A former colleague is helping 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. 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 and 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.

She encourages others to not only see the value of research but to take part in it themselves. Shena said: “Research is very important. A lot of people do not know about how important it is and I want them to know how much it has done for me. And I endeavour to do it by making people happy and making them smile.”

Rachel Evans, Senior Research Facilitator at CRN, said: “Shena was upset and had lost her support network very quickly. But she decided to help and rely on herself and took part in our research – and on the ward would not only be doing her own rehab but helping with others as well. She’s very inspirational.”

Shena has since gone on to take part in stroke research projects with the University of Oxford and University College London, including one on post-stroke cognitive problems.