"My whole world crumbled"

Think of ur darkest place the moment of being so alone and being that person who can’t ask for help or accept it easily because all my life I’ve backhanded help with people with there own personal gain and agendas, then systems that are sometimes in my experience broken and judgemental because they don’t understand the individual I am and what I have endured my whole life so easily. I can say this I find it hard to trust anyone or ask for help. 

I found out I was pregnant and I really struggled to get my head around that. Then I found that I would be doing it alone and that crushed my world cause at 35 it was the last thing I imagined I would be doing. I already have boys who suffered emotionally mentally and physically from a father who was not deserving of these amazing boys but I fought hard to give them a good life and protect them as much as I possibly could. I've been that single mum for years with the world watching making me feel less of a person feeling like all I am doing is fail.

Then there was Catherine and Wendy. They walked into my life and taught me one lesson that many have tried and failed because of the way it’s played out. They taught me how to ask for help, they taught me in my darkest moments what support looked and felt like, not just for me but my two boys and then my little princess. They helped me with clothes and baby stuff, forms that I didn’t have the concentration span to do. They walked in and they continued to support me. I don’t no where I would have been if they weren’t there.

There is people who do there job then there is the rare diamonds in every workforce that aren’t easy found but they both are an absolute credit for the job they do. It's not just a job to them and ur not just a number, they see you in your darkest days and they manage to make comfort you and make you smile or laugh or just remember it’s going to be ok. They go above and beyond the job for someone like me and many others, that’s an amazing department first steps with my experience of two very kind, caring, compassionate and dedicated individuals who make a difference to people that need them.

They have supported me and my family before my daughter was born, during and ongoing. Wendy moved to a different department and Catherine stayed, I remember when she told me she was retiring and my heart sunk. I just thought I can’t do this they’ve both been such a support especially with my mental health when am feeling the world on my shoulders they’ve never let me down. Then Catherine was staying and relieved to say the least. When I was in my woman’s aid house she checked in all the time. One day Wendy came up my house looked exactly how my head did and she’s there doing my dishes helped me organise. Do you understand just those little things how massive they change a person like me, it made me feel so much more of a person and less of a failure.

Catherine organised all the buttle fund to help with my stuff for the kids and me for our new house. She’s checking in all the time and poor soul listens to me ranting on getting the stresses of my chest and she hears me not just listens, that’s a major deal cause people don’t hear what u say, her and Wendy have always and that’s worth its weight in gold.

I am one person and first steps looks after hundreds, that’s a system that cannot be lost to people like me in situations like ours it would be beyond catastrophic to communities. It's a system that deserves funding to keep it going yearly because the difference it makes to people who don’t open up or trust easily or have enough access to mental health would then create more mental health more stress and possibly lives.

This is the gateway that makes us come threw the other side with hope they amazing woman do so many things that can’t go unrecognised or get lost because it makes a massive difference without it then it will be detrimental to communities in need. There are not enough words possible to describe my experience with Catherine and Wendy but they are true heroes without capes on display they makes a difference to many people and families every single day.

I would not even no where to start to begin to thank them both for the things they have done, for the strength and courage they have given me and most of all for the unconditional help and support I have as an individual and a family received from them.

So thank you for being there and making my darkest days have a little bit of sunshine ladies x