Newsletter August 2020
VSA Carers Story Shahnaz Bashir is a registered carer for her 15-year-old son Waleed who lives with epilepsy, cerebral palsy and is registered blind. Shahnaz, with her husband Syed, and two children, has lived in Aberdeen for a little over a year now, having moved from Pakistan to Glasgow 10 years ago. Shahnaz first moved from Pakistan to Paisley to start her MPhil at the University of West Scotland; she was the first female from her family and district to accomplish higher education. When she first moved, she had to leave her home and move to a new country all alone, which was a difficult time for her. Shahnaz did not know anyone; it was a huge cultural challenge, and Waleed specifically found it upsetting being in Pakistan without his mum as he did not fully understand why she had left. After two months, Shahnaz’s family moved to Scotland to be reunited, which was an emotional time for everyone. When Waleed moved over, one of the first things she did was register him with a GP; because of
his learning difficulties, Shahnaz wanted to ensure she could get support. It was a surprise for Shahnaz when the GP asked her which school Waleed attended because children with learning difficulties do not attend school in Pakistan. Shahnaz spoke about how emotional this was for her, as she had no idea that in Scotland, he could go to school, and she knew this would be great for him. Shahnaz’s older son, Shahzad Ahmad, is also registered as a young carer for his brother and helps his mum and dad support him. Shahzad plays cricket for the Stoneywood cricket club and is also very academic, which lead to him receiving an offer from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Medicine to train to become a Doctor. When Shahzad received the offer, the whole family decided to move support 20
Shahzad’s dream. When they decided to move in 2019, Shahnaz asked their carer service in Glasgow, who could help support them in Aberdeen; they were advised of VSA Carers. When they moved to the city, they contacted VSA, and Shahnaz and her eldest son are now both registered at VSA as unpaid carers. How have VSA Carers helped you since moving to Aberdeen? The team has been fantastic; they signposted me to different opportunities to meet other Carers, provided me with information about mental well-being, and where to get further information. Initially, moving to Aberdeen was a bit unsettling for us, as we do not have any family or friends here, and because of Waleed’s learning difficulties, and so we wanted to find an organisation that could help us.
