I suffered a devastating brain injury - volunteering played a huge part in my recovery

Adam Harcombe’s life changed forever after a night out in September 2020.

While walking a friend home in the early hours of the morning, he was attacked by two men and struck repeatedly with a baseball bat.

He was rushed by ambulance to the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) where he needed part of his skull removed due to severe swelling on his brain.

The terrifying and unprovoked incident left him in a coma, unable to walk and fearing for his future. But thanks to the “incredible” care and rehabilitation he received from Cardiff and Vale UHB colleagues, Adam was able to make a remarkable recovery - and even become a medal-winning athlete.

“The staff [who looked after me] were phenomenal. They are the ones who made me feel like Adam Harcombe again,” he said. “They just kept me going.”

Adam, a former electrician, spent four months in UHW before being transferred to Rookwood Hospital in Llandaff where he learnt how to walk again unaided within just a couple of months.

In a bid to give something back to the clinicians who helped him through his ordeal, the 29-year-old has spent the past year volunteering on B4 neurosurgery ward in UHW as a “patient befriender”. His role is to speak to patients who have experienced brain injuries, boost their morale and reassure them that they can come out the other side.

“When I was on B4, it was during Covid and I had no-one to speak to when I was in a really difficult place,” he admitted. “I thought if I could come in as a volunteer and help people going through similar things to me, then it could perhaps speed up their recovery.

“I’ve found it really rewarding. I’ve seen patients who were initially paralysed - and thought they had no hope - managing to walk again. I’ve become very good friends with some of the patients.”

Adam said his experiences as a volunteer with the Health Board were a “massive stepping stone” on his venture into paid employment.

He has now turned his hand to athletics, winning silver in his first para-shotput event in the Welsh Championships. He is also a qualified rugby coach and is keen to impart his knowledge on the next generation of rugby stars in his hometown of Porth.

Between June 3 and 9, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board is celebrating Volunteers’ Week, paying tribute to the hundreds of people who freely give their time to make such a difference to patients, services and staff.

Depending on the time of year, there are between 400 and 500 people supporting more than 35 volunteer projects and roles across our hospital sites and community settings. Volunteers give their time to befriend patients, point visitors in the right direction, take library trollies around wards, help lead activities such as arts and crafts and much more.

In the first five months of 2024 more than 5,100 hours have been donated by volunteers ranging in in age from 13 to 86. To find out more about Volunteers’ Week please go here.