Dr Georgina Budd
Disabled Professional & Advocate ❦ Mindfulness champion ❦ Creative
Who is Dr Georgie Budd?
Georgina Budd, (or ‘Georgie’) is a young doctor currently practicing in the UK. After an accident that has resulted in full time wheelchair use she has fought to keep her medical career, and raise awareness about disability issues through her social media communities. She has been fiercely dedicated to her own rehabilitation, and in the scope of spinal cord injury is still at the start of her journey. An ambitious and dedicated woman, she hopes to continue in her career and the world of disability advocacy, with a strong focus on positive mental attitude, determination and compassion.
The Accident
In early 2017 Georgie was driving to work in her local hospital at school run time. A tyre burst and she lost control of the vehicle, and in frantic efforts to avoid hurting anyone else, she swerved off the road colliding with a tree. Waking up in the car she says ‘she knew [her] spine had been injured, unable to move [her] legs’ – it turned out her instinct was right. Part of Georgie’s spine had fractured in a way that bone had pressed on her spinal cord and resulting in paraplegia; her legs were paralysed. Initially Georgie had no movement at all below the belly button, had no control of her bladder or bowel and suffered from neuropathic pain.
Recovery
Georgie received what she described as ‘overwhelming love’ from her community and credits this as the driving force behind her positivity. She decided early on that this life-altering experience need not be a negative one. Instead, she had been gifted a alternate and somewhat unique perspective of life, and could use he experience to raise awareness of spinal cord injury as well as inform her practice as a medical professional.
Merely a week after her accident she began to write a blog and engage social media to document her recovery while highlighting important issues and fundraising for therapy needs. She has been humbled by the response to her story and the support she received which has allowed her to access much needed equipment and therapy.
Originally the hope of all was that she would be able to walk again. She hasn’t given up on this hope, often stating ‘I never say never, but decided she ‘wouldn’t give up on [her] life to chase her legs’. There has definitely been progress demonstrated in the therapy videos she posts; however, Georgie is still unable to stand unassisted. Adamant that her use of a wheelchair shouldn’t hold her back from chasing her other life goals, she has since completed her first triathlon, given a number of speaking engagements and interviews and has many more ideas for her future.
There has been significant progress and continued improvement with therapy from Neurokinex and Georgie personally have found great benefit from engaging in mindfulness practices.
In 2018 she returned to the NHS and in 2019 officially completed her Foundation programme becoming a fully registered Doctor. However, shortly after this the COVID-19 pandemic impacted her ability to work, requiring further time out. Un-deterred Georgie used this time to plan the next stage of her recovery and how to be a better advocate for inclusivity, positive mindset and compassion!
What is Georgie doing now?
Having launched a new social media handle, @mymindonwheels, Georgie returned to front line healthcare at the start of the second wave of the COVID pandemic, determined to be part of the fight against the virus. She works as a clinical fellow in emergency fellow.
She is also working in research promoting resiliency in healthcare professionals through mindfulness interventions and empathy culture.
Her plans for 2021 involve proactively engaging in disability rights and awareness, as well as promoting health literacy, self-care and positivity! Her mission in her own words is ‘to show anyone who has suffered any kind of setback that you can still achieve your dreams!’
