Back to the water
Joanna has been part of the Response community since 2017, navigating the complex landscape of both mental and physical health challenges with quiet resilience. But the past year brought its hardest test yet. An operation on her foot left her immobile, and unable to stay in her bedsit, for several months. For someone whose independence is central to her identity, the loss of routine and mobility hit deeply.
The things that had always anchored her, the sea, the surf, the feeling of water around her, suddenly felt impossibly far away.
But, with new challenges, Joanna’s goals became clearer to her- she had to get back to the water.
Response staff stayed close throughout Joanna’s recovery, not by taking over, but by helping her hold on to hope. Alongside the encouragement of her family, the team supported her to focus on what mattered most: her confidence, her sense of self, and the small daily steps that would eventually carry her back to the life she loves. Joanna committed herself to physiotherapy every day, and it wasn’t easy, but she knew what was waiting on the other side.
In the summer months, Joanna travelled to Devon with her family.
And she got back in the water.
After months of hard work, Joanna is surfing again- bodyboarding, riding waves, doing the thing that has brought her peace since childhood. It’s a moment that speaks to everything Response believes in: that when people are supported to reconnect with what matters to them, remarkable things become possible.
Joanna’s journey is a testament to what person-centred support really looks like- not managing a condition, but helping someone find their way back to themselves.
"I feel so much peace when I am in the water."
Joanna