Rehab can't wait - nor can hedgehogs

The 78-year-old from Redcar, North Yorkshire, runs a hedgehog rescue from her home. Every day, she feeds, medicates and cares for injured, underweight or unwell hedgehogs until they are ready to be released back into the wild.

'They need to be free,' says Tish. 'That is always the aim.'

But around six months ago, Tish was walking into her house when she felt a click in her hip, followed by severe pain.

'I managed to get to my bed, but then I found I couldn’t get out,' she says. “I couldn’t bear weight. I was immobilised. I was in agony.

'I felt absolutely powerless. I was at rock bottom.'

Tish, who has arthritis and had already been receiving physiotherapy following a previous problem, suddenly found herself unable to do the things that mattered most to her.

She could not stand, could not get upstairs and spent a month in her bedroom. Even getting out of bed became difficult and unsafe.

'It wasn’t just embarrassing,' she says. 'It was uncomfortable. It wasn’t me. I couldn’t move properly.'

Hedgehog emergency

The hardest part was knowing that the hedgehogs still needed care.

'The hedgehogs need me,' says Tish. 'I have to feed them carefully, medicate them, look after them and get them fit enough to go back out.'

Friends and fellow hedgehog rescuers stepped in to help, making sure the animals were fed, checked and given their medication.

'I didn’t realise how many good people there were in the world until that happened,' she says.

But what Tish needed was rehabilitation - quickly.

With support from Kathryn Hodgson, Clinical Lead for the Falls and Fracture Liaison Service at University Hospitals Tees, physiotherapist Emma Taylor and the wider falls team, Tish received equipment, advice and physiotherapy to help her recover safely at home. 

'The help they gave me was absolutely amazing,' says Tish. 'The falls team got involved. Emma, Kathryn and the other physiotherapists and occupational therapists were absolutely brilliant. I can’t fault them. I’d give them 20 out of 10 every time.'

The team helped Tish with practical equipment, including a commode and a rail for the side of her bed, so she could begin moving more safely. They also gave her strength and balance exercises to help strengthen around her hip and improve her mobility.

'They came out, looked at me properly, worked out what I needed and got it sorted,' says Tish. 'I honestly think I could have hurt myself badly without them.

'The exercises have really helped my movement. At 78, I need to build the muscles up and make things more stable and manageable. That’s what they’ve helped me do. They’ve helped me move again.'

Tish says the difference has been life-changing.

'I can move better. I can do more,' she says. 'They are angels in uniforms, and they must help so many people.'

Her recovery has not only helped her regain independence. It has allowed her to continue caring for the hedgehogs that depend on her.

'Because they help me, I can carry on and help the hedgehogs for as long as I can - and I will do it as long as I can, thanks to them.'

Rehab can't wait

Tish’s story launches this year’s Rehab Awareness Week (14–20 September) under the theme Rehab Can’t Wait.

The week will highlight why timely access to rehabilitation matters - not only after major illness or injury, but whenever people need support to recover, rebuild strength, manage long-term conditions, stay independent and continue doing the things that give their lives meaning.

For Tish, rehab could not wait because she had lives depending on her: hedgehog lives.

Her story shows how timely physiotherapy and rehabilitation can help people recover their mobility, confidence and independence - and return to the roles, responsibilities and communities that matter to them.

As Tish says in the film: 'If you’ve been through it, you know it - rehab can’t wait.'

For support in celebrating Rehab Awareness Week where you are, contact your local campaigns team on cre@csp.org.uk or download some member social media graphics and posters from our Rehab Awareness Week toolkit.