Thi Thom Tran

Listen to Thi’s interview

Thi’s Journey

When Thi first came to Headway ADP she was struggling with numerous daily living issues, having difficulty maintaining a level of independence, and living with her elderly Mum in a detached dwelling without any purpose-built equipment, proper facilities or supports.

Mum was obviously concerned about Thi’s ability to live independently as she was getting on in years herself and Thi was largely estranged from her ex- partner and children. She was also seeing a family doctor who was not in tune with her women’s health issues.

Thi’s journey to independence did not come without a lot of personal struggle, but Headway ADP and Thi are a team to be reckoned with. In planning for Thi to regain control of her life a strong plan was formulated to give her back the dignity and choice that she really craved. The tricky part was about maintaining contact with Mum, but all the while looking forwards to her own future.

Through Headway ADP and some assistance from The Liverpool Hospital Acquired Brain Injury Unit, Thi firstly addressed her personal care needs, meaning that she would no longer be dependent on Mum for support. Through staff she was also able to identify a young female Vietnamese speaking GP, more in tune with her as a woman and culturally aware.

The next stage however is what was really, exciting. After advocacy and a lot of research, Thi was found to be eligible and was open to move into her own Supported Living residence. At the same time, she was able to initiate far more contact with her 3 children, who were now teenagers. The result of her stroke initially was that she was no longer able to care for or be directly involved with her kids. Her eldest has now been received into University and she is so proud of the fine people that they have become.

Thi loves her new active life. She has access to therapies, outings and groups at Headway ADP. Most importantly, she has a real voice.