Jon’s story
At the age of 19, Jon Veal sustained complex physical disabilities and a severe brain injury in a car accident. Jon came to National Star as a student, and he now lives in National Star’s long-term accommodation. Near to friends and family, he lives as part of a group of other young adults with differing care and support needs, and is able to access therapies and key workers he knows at National Star.
‘Jon is a changed person,’ says Jon’s mum, Paulette.
‘Thanks to the aquatherapy and physiotherapy he received at National Star he can walk a few steps on his own. Thanks to the speech and language therapy he can communicate and make choices for himself.
‘I could not be the best carer for Jon and I didn’t want him to move into a home with older people. He enjoys being part of a group yet has the privacy of his own room when he wants it. Jon still has the ability to change and improve. I’m an optimist. He can still hug me like he did before the accident and he still has that cheeky smile. National Star – a very special place that we’d be lost without.’
