Ally Testimonials

Cristina Serrao

Full Testimony

‘As a person with lived experience of chronic pain I was instantly drawn to the thought of having peer support.  I initially met this group in a professional capacity as the Patient Director of Camden MSK.  To be honest I was fascinated by the way they had formed, with no resources, no professional involvement and yet were able to source a central, accessible location for free.  They absolutely took me back, to memories of my community co-production work I had previously been involved in.

Not only did I have support as a person living with chronic pain but I also had a group of people who were willing to help me in my role and join the Camden MSK Patient Advisory Group.  My commitment to them on that initial meeting was to attend each month where possible and support their growth in whichever way was needed.  Through my role I was able to help source training and organise attendance at conferences including King's Fund and Healthcare Conferences and bring them into other strategic level co-production I was working on.

The truth is the peer support I received from each individual in those sessions was more valuable than anything I could give back.’

I'm glad that we had the peer support group to draw upon as we formed the Camden MSK lockdown group with them. It is important that we understand their drive to organise themselves in this way, Mark did a lot of work to ensure people stay connected and attended. I supported people who didn’t know how to use Zoom including a 95 year old woman. The group was and still is very diverse and is a great representation of the Camden borough.  My PTSD was triggered in lockdown 1 and I know the support they gave me was invaluable, as being on the shielded list and becoming so deconditioned was something we all understood.  A safe space, with people who understand how variable pain can be and the impact it has on our wider lives.

The clinicians (learnt experience) who joined us found they were also able to show vulnerabilities and have very open honest conversations and we – and it was a collective we – gave support to all that attended.

‘What Matters To You?’– is key to the way the sessions formed and evolved

‘My recommendation to people wanting to develop peer support groups is to find your community champions, find those people who already have those support groups and give them the opportunity to thrive. Get to know them, support them and be honest with what your needs are too. I was never there at CamPain to empower anybody but rather they helped me and others, find our own inner power and voice.’