I left school when I was 16 whilst I was living in the UK in a small village called Bardsea near Ulverston in Cumbria. I left in June 1985 with not very good results in my CSE's (equivalent to year 10). In the area I lived most school leavers who weren't going on to university started work in one of 3 main industries. These were Glaxo pharmaceutical (it was more who you knew rather than what you knew to get in), Kimberly-Clark and Vickers Shipbuilding & Engineering Ltd (VSEL). I started as an apprentice fitter/turner at VSEL in August 1985 which built diesel-electric submarines, nuclear submarines, surface to air missile launchers and tank turrets. I spent 4 years as an apprentice and once qualified as a tradesman I stayed on as a tradesman until 1992 when I left taking voluntary redundancy as the shipyard was scaling down its workforce and the area I was working in had to loose 2 people and as I was the last one to joint with the least experience I was the first one earmarked to go, so I left earlier so I could go back to school at the beginning of the school year. My interest of Osteopathy was sparked in the beginning of 1992 when I was working in a very cramped section of a sub lifting heavy pipes up and fitting then in position, afterwards I remember having a very sore and painful lower back, by the next day I was in a lot of pain with the pain travelling down my left thigh and leg with pins & needles in my foot. I had several days off work before going to see my GP who did several tests and sent me for an x-ray and I was told I had a 'slipped disc' (not the correct terminology but that what you were told back then). I was referred to a physiotherapist who gave my exercises to do and used ultrasound therapy. I did my exercises and had 5 more treatment over a few weeks but I didn't improve. I returned to my GP who signed my off work for 1 month and was told to persist with the physio and exercises, this wasn't good enough for me. I decided to seek some other help and advice and went to see a local Osteopath and after 2 treatments I noticed a significant change, I was in less pain, had better movement and the thigh/leg pain had subsided and the pins and needles had reduced. I ended up having 4 more treatments over the month and returned back to work fully better. So, when I left VSEL in 1992 I went back to school to do my GCSE's and A-Levels (equivalent to years 10/11 & 12) into going to Uni to train as an Osteopath. I got the results I needed to study Osteopathy and started at the European School of Osteopathy in 1996 and Qualified in 2000.
- Jason Le Roy