Watch Verity’s story
At Independent People Live-in Care, we believe the best care comes from a place of deep, firsthand understanding. Our Care Co‑ordinator, Verity, embodies that. At just two years old she suffered a life‑altering stroke that paralysed her right side and reset her developmental milestones. Today, she uses that lived experience to support our clients and live‑in carers every day.
Verity’s medical crisis
In 1987, Verity became seriously ill while her family was away for a wedding. What everyone assumed was a common cold rapidly progressed to unresponsiveness and a high fever. A GP’s home visit led to an emergency admission to Basildon Hospital, where doctors initially suspected meningitis and moved her into an isolation ward.
When her right side stopped moving, paediatric consultant Dr Easton acted decisively. Basildon had no CT scanner at the time, so he arranged for Verity to be transferred by ambulance to Great Ormond Street Hospital, a decision the family credits with saving her life.
At Great Ormond Street, an abdominal ultrasound revealed the true cause. A staphylococcal infection had entered her bloodstream and formed an abscess on her aortic heart valve. Surgeons replaced the valve with a pig (bioprosthetic) valve.
It was the first of five operations Verity would go on to have across her life, including a valve replacement at twelve and, later, pacemakers and defibrillators. In total, she spent around two months at Great Ormond Street, and celebrated her third birthday on the ward.
Overcoming the care gap with “Mrs Magic”
On discharge, Verity’s medical team insisted on weekly physiotherapy. The frequency of sessions available locally was not enough on its own to meet the intensity her recovery needed.
Determined to help her defy the odds, the family found a dedicated paediatric physiotherapist, Jenny Cannon, whom they affectionately nicknamed “Mrs Magic.” Through creative, daily therapy disguised as play, such as balancing Hula Hoops on her fingers to coax her right hand into action, Verity gradually relearned how to speak, switched her dominant hand from right to left, and walked proudly before her third birthday. Decades on, Verity and Jenny are still close friends.
Lived experience in action
Verity’s stroke left her with a lifelong condition called hemiplegia, and the stroke also caused her dyslexia, but she has never let either define her limits. Today, she walks (with the help of a splint), drives, trains regularly at the gym, and balances a full personal and professional life with the support of her husband.
Having spent her life on the receiving end of care, Verity chose a career about giving back. As a Care Co‑ordinator, she now speaks daily with the carers and clients she supports, drawing on insights no textbook could teach.
“We enable people to live in their own homes exactly the way they wish, surrounded by their own home comforts. I feel incredibly privileged to give back to a community that gave so much to me.” Verity, Care Co‑ordinator
How Verity’s story connects to our care
Verity’s journey runs through several of the services we provide. If her story resonates with your family’s situation, these pages explain how we help:
- Stroke care at home: Personalised live‑in support through stroke recovery.
- Neurological live‑in care: Specialist care for conditions including hemiplegia.
- Physiotherapy rehabilitation at home: The only UK live‑in care agency integrating physiotherapy into care plans.
Arrange a free, no‑obligation chat
If you’d like to talk about live‑in care for a loved one, our team is here to help.
hello1784801652@ipho1784801652mecar1784801652e.co.1784801652uk1784801652.