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Rebecca Keough from County Down is 64. She has osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
‘I was a hands-on nurse for a long time. Then I was a sister for 15 years, with more office-type work.
I got a post running a private nursing home with 94 beds. It was a mammoth job. I did enjoy it but my arthritis became really bad through the manual work and stress. I was driving to work with a pain across my shoulders and the back of my head. Some mornings I could hardly even see with the pain.
I kept the arthritis to myself – I was frightened to say anything. Even during flare ups I never took time off – they would have phoned me at home. I was working 80 hours a week sometimes. I was very committed, my residents came first. If I’d paced myself better I mightn’t have been so ill.
I developed depression and went off ill. My depression stemmed mostly from my arthritis – I couldn’t cope due to pain. Four weeks later I got a letter asking whether I was resigning or returning to work. My consultant said I wasn’t fit for work and we agreed to terminate my contract.
With rest and physio I did have a better quality of life, but I suffered clinical depression for three years. I was on sick pay – from £20,000 a year, I was down to £56 a week, still paying a mortgage.
I had a lot of anger about my arthritis – it ended my career and I missed nursing dreadfully.
My employer gave me no support whatsoever. I think it would be different now, after the Disability Discrimination Act. Maybe employers and managers could try to be more compassionate – empathy goes a long way.’
