Going Local: Azura & Jacqueline
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Jacqueline has travelled across the globe and worked as a nurse for many years. Her world travels and bright intelligence mean she is a woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind.
Jacqueline started having really bad back pain two years ago. It ended up being much more serious than initially thought, as one day she woke up unable to move her legs. Two days later, she has had two major back surgeries and spent a total of nine months in hospital.
“I can’t do the things that I used to. I was a very active person and have scuba dived since I was 15. I’m just coming to terms with what I’ve lost.”
Jacqueline was receiving supports to help her transition home from the hospital and understandably, she started feeling quite lonely once her transitional supports finished.
“I built a relationship with those people over months then I couldn’t see them anymore. That was difficult.” After expressing she was feeling quite lonely to her social worker, Jacqueline was informed about Holdsworth’s Social Support.
Jacqueline was introduced to Azura, a Holdsworth Support Worker. Azura is a university student studying archaeology who is curious about the world around her. Luckily for her, the first participant she was to support at her new job lived close by to her home.
“When I first met Jacqueline, I was a little intimidated. She was very confident, smart and seemed like a person that knows what they want,” Azura shared.
Jacqueline had some thoughts of her own when meeting Azura for the first time.
Despite Azura’s big bright smile as she walked through the door, Jacqueline’s eyes were immediately affixed to Azura’s brightly coloured hair, nose ring, visible tattoos and six earrings in each ear lobe. “Oh god, this should be interesting,” she thought to herself.
Fast forward six months, the unlikely pair now look forward to seeing each other each week. Due to lockdown, they haven’t been able to go to the local pools or explore their favourite spots in the area. While Jacqueline misses it, they’ve been enjoying doing crafts indoors, hanging out on the rooftop and cooking. Jacqueline has quite a collection of DVD’s, that are either action-packed or on the intellectual side.
Though, Azura tends to love scary movies. They go back and forth about the best movies they’ve watched together and what they plan to watch next.
“Azura’s such a happy soul. I’ve enjoyed the fact that she’s now my friend. I feel less lonely. She gives me the energy to get out of bed.”
Though, their favourite times are simply spent chatting.
“We could talk about anything, from human anatomy to old movie stars. She’s like one of those friends you can have deep talks with and keep going on tangents for hours,” Azura shared. “We can have fun talks, but we have a mentor relationship too. I can ask her anything.”
“Since she’s studying archaeology, I’ve been learning about Greek history from her,” Jacqueline said, “Azura’s such a happy soul. I’ve enjoyed the fact that she’s now my friend. I feel less lonely. She gives me the energy to get out of bed.”
This story showcases how Azura and Jacqueline turned their local connection into a memorable friendship.