Becoming a virtual buddy myself would allow me to share my own personal experience with potential donors. But did I have the right qualities to buddy and befriend?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u2018I\u2019m not going to be good enough. I haven\u2019t got the level of patience required. I won\u2019t know how to communicate with somebody who is deafblind or has a complex disability.\u2019 The nagging doubts came thick and fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But the Sense team\u2019s buddy training sessions helped me overcome my hesitation. I talked through my goals with the team, exploring how I could support and befriend a potential buddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meeting Nigel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In August 2020 I was paired with Nigel, who is deafblind. Someone from the buddying team joined us on the first of our weekly calls to check whether Nigel and I seemed like a good match. We all agreed we were.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the things Nigel and I bonded over is our mutual love of animals. We both have Spaniels \u2013 my dog is called Mabel and Nigel\u2019s is Wallace \u2013 and our canine companions are a constant source of conversation. Nigel and I share tips on keeping our pets healthy and happy. In fact, Mabel\u2019s favourite chew toy, Yaker, is one recommended by Nigel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigel loves pop music and we enjoy doing music quizzes together. He\u2019s also passionate about football and is an ardent fan of Liverpool FC, so I\u2019ve learned a lot about the beautiful game from him. I\u2019ve picked up lots of gardening hints from him too. Nigel is quite the gardening expert. He has his own allotment and has planted a few onions recently, much to Wallace\u2019s delight. I hear he loves digging up the bulbs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nigel\u2019s horticultural expertise is so impressive that I\u2019m hoping he\u2019ll become our Sense gardening guru. One of our centres has an allotment and Nigel\u2019s know-how could be useful to them as they cultivate their patch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Every single week I come away from our virtual buddying sessions realising how difficult situations can be for Nigel. For example, Wallace injured his paw recently. Nigel wanted to get him checked out by the vet without delay, but a local taxi service he booked refused to take the dog. Nigel persevered and got Wallace the treatment he needed in good time, which shows just how much Nigel has grown in confidence since we started our sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, it helps us both to have the ongoing support of the Sense buddying team. They email with activity suggestions every week. They also ask for regular feedback from each of us individually and resolve any issues we raise quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, our first call took place on FaceTime, with Nigel on his iPhone. There were a number of technical issues when using the iPad or iPhone so, Nigel was supported to learn how to use a link in an email that enabled him to connect to Zoom on his PC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the bigger screen and some clever lighting, Nigel can see me far more clearly than he could on his phone, which has made more activities accessible to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The benefits of our sessions go beyond our Monday chat. For example, we often set up activities for Nigel to carry out at his leisure later in the week. I might demonstrate painting by numbers, for instance. After watching me onscreen, Nigel will then do some painting on his own over the next few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.sense.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/nigel-blog-450x591.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSharing interests and insight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Ongoing support<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Activities outside the call<\/h2>\n\n\n\n