Vicky Gibb

Having read your testimonials, I almost feel guilty that I am part of this organisation by default! I am not contributing practically to the team but I so believe in what you all do.

Who Am I?

I am the mum of a serving member of the Para's (no RE connection whatsoever!). I am 1000% behind my lad but don't want to be just a mum who sits and worries about her boy on Tour. When he went in I made my mind up that I would be actively involved in his career...I didn't want to be just a civvie he wouldn't talk to because I wouldn't understand what he was talking about.

My background is 15years experience in working in mental health...this is one area I worried about with the lad.....how was it all going to affect him? Would it affect him? Would we have to wait for years to see if it did affect him? I spoke to him about all this and we struck a 'deal' that if I noticed any symptoms of PTSD in him or any worrying changes in his behaviour, or  if he did, then we would talk.

I didn't want to have my mental health head on all the time so this seemed the best way of us dealing with it all. Since he came back from Afghan in May, we have stuck to this and to give him credit, he has talked when he needs to and taken on board what I have pointed out to him too. He seems really grounded with it all and I think he was mentally prepared for going out on tour and prepared for what things could be like when he got back. I like to think I contributed to that with my existing knowledge and the knowledge I have gained from VIA.

How Did I get Involved?

Good Question!! As I remember I think Billy headhunted me!! A couple of years ago, my sons mate was injured in Afghan and sent home part way through the tour. He didn't handle that well; thinking he had let his mates down. So we set about a challenge to give him some self esteem and credibility back. He, on his crutches, walked a mile for each soldier that had been killed in Afghan at that time....each day the walk got longer as more were killed while he was en route. Maybe with hindsight it was a mini VIA Challenge and the first one of its kind as it was done in the early days!

I remember when he completed the task...his hands were ripped to bits because of the use of the crutches...and being a PARA he didn't do it at a strolls pace!!!! But...his face said it all...he had worked through his frustrations and felt he was giving something back.....it was through the publicity I organised for the challenge that Billy and I got talking.

Where do I go from here?

I guess I often wonder this...there have been times when I don't feel worthy of being one of you as I tend to sit in the background monitoring you all...oh yes, I know a lot about so many of you....and occasionally chipping in with an opinion or trying to ground Billy. I have thought should I stay involved?? My answer is yes; because I am looking at the longer, future picture. I hope to bring my mental health expertise to the organisation and use it to:

• Assess future members of the organisation (is there more to their distress than PTSD? Is VIA skilled to deal with their problems?)
• Work with members in distress but also signpost onto organisations who we can work in partnership with
• Set up links with health professionals so we can provide a holistic service; so they can learn from our expertise and so we can work in partnership with them. There are times when we need them.
• Assess new members for benefits...can we remove some of their distress by ensuring they have the correct benefits they are entitled to?
• Can we meet their housing needs or signpost then onto those that can?
• Support younger veterans as they leave the forces or even return from tours/have leave from a tour, or even prepare for a tour.
• Dispel the stigma of PTSD by educating the younger members of the forces about it. It's ok to get help etc.!!
• Support families to cope with their loved ones who are suffering. I see this as vital to support families to understand what is going on and to keep families from breaking down. I think it's also important for those who need help to understand how their illness affects families too. Families too need support; they have their own pain from PTSD and need a place to go for support.

 I envisage VIA to have a two level service one day...the practical side that exists now and has already shown how successful it is, then the side that I have described above. That's when I will stop feeling guilty about being a member who is not contributing as much as you are all at the moment!

The list is endless....and looking at it has surprised me because its what I already do on a daily basis with the clients I work with now. So, it's realistic that this is not just a vision for VIA's future...it is a reality waiting to happen when we get together to pool our resources for the future of our veterans.

"I would like to add that I not only work in mental health but have experienced mental ill health myself....its a hell of a journey back from it but together we can all make that journey".

"The great thing about someone being involved with something and they don't know how valuable they are is in Vicky's statement above. Whenever I have felt down and needed someone to talk to it's Vicky I turn to and she gives me the proverbial kick that i need to go on. Her contibution is valuable to us as an organisation and to me personally".        

Billy MacLeod