This article first appeared on cpsn.org.au on June 16 2021
We are excited to introduce CPSN’s telehealth nurse, Amy Seeary, who brings a wealth of expertise and personal experience to the CPSN team.
Amy brings not only sixteen years of knowledge from the nursing field, but she also has lived experience with cerebral palsy (CP). Her twin sons, Liam, and Ollie were both diagnosed with CP at 18 months of age. Amy used her medical expertise to traverse the medical world, but even she said she struggled during the earlier days of her sons’ treatment.
Amy says she had to step into a very different role, going from nurse to mum of children with CP. Her training and insights gave her an advantage when handling the overwhelming medical information that parents of children with disabilities typically deal with.
Amy’s lived experience has enabled her to gain a sound understanding of the disability sector, paediatric health settings both acute and community and the NDIS. Most importantly, Amy understands the experiences of individuals and families from diagnosis to beyond, and the challenges of navigating disability support services and the NDIS.
Amy also has a professional background in mental health, and she considers this to be a great passion of hers. “If a parent or carer is mentally healthy, that goes a long way to being able to care for their children or engage in ongoing therapies.”
Amy hopes her expertise and personal experiences will provide a vital asset to CPSN members. “I hope that I can bring both of my experiences as a nurse and a parent of children with CP and mix that into a role that helps CPSN members.”
She plans to bring a new holistic focus to the role, promoting mental health, self-care, and peer support. In the coming months, Amy will be part of educational webinars aimed at connecting parents of children with CP – as well as individuals living with CP.
Outside of work, she loves cooking, family time, and sports. Her husband works as a physical education teacher, and there’s a strong emphasis on inclusive sports. They also encourage their twins to play sport with their older brother, Hamish.
There is an exciting momentum towards inclusive activities, and it’s something that Liam and Ollie are getting to experience. However, Amy believes balance is still key.
“When you have a child with a disability, you want to put them in as many therapies as you can, but also taking that step back and let them be a kid,” she explains. Amy and her family love to travel, and they’re eagerly awaiting a future trip to Japan.
“We’ve travelled with the boys, and that’s still really important – to give our boys the same experiences other children have.”
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