Recovery heroes ‐ a profile of Margaret Muir
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.5042/mhsi.2010.0235 |
| Date | 13 May 2010 |
| Pages | 7-11 |
| Published date | 13 May 2010 |
| Author | Margaret Muir,Hannah Cordle,Jerome Carson |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
Mental Health and Social Inclusion • Volume 14 Issue 2 • May 2010 © Pier Professional Ltd 7
10.5042/mhsi.2010.0235
the people in it were not real. Nobody talked to me
about Pauline and I could not talk to
my parents. As young as I was, I could
see the pain etched on their faces, their
grief was beyond imagination. My grief
stayed locked away inside me for many
years to come. I miss my little sister to
this day and often think of what could
have been.
I married young and gave birth to
three beautiful daughters; I enjoyed
being a mother. I cannot bring myself to
write much about my marriage only to
say that he (my now ex-husband) was
violent and we all went through hell.
I think that explains enough. After 17
years of marriage I asked him to leave,
and much to our surprise he did.
Margaret Muir: a brief
biography in her own words
I was born in 1943 during the Second World War.
I was the eldest of two daughters. On Christmas
Eve 1948, my little sister Pauline was born. The
following spring we moved from Belgravia to St
Margarets near Richmond. We had an idyllic life
until November 1952 when, after a very short illness,
Pauline tragically died. I remember that time vividly,
even to this day. On Christmas Day we packed our
bags and went to stay with my aunt and uncle and
two cousins. I attended my cousin’s school and hated
every minute. The school was a large four or five
storey dismal grey Victorian building, much different
from my bungalow school back home, and I missed
my friends. When we came home the following
May, my mother went out to work full-time and I
became a very lonely ‘latch key’ kid. I started having
nightmares, sleep walking and felt that the world or
Recovery heroes –
a profile of Margaret Muir
RECOVERY
Margaret Muir
Service user
Hannah Cordle
Honorary Assistant Psychologist, South West Community Mental Health Team, South London and Maudsley NHS
Foundation Trust
Jerome Carson
Clinical Psychologist, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
Abstract
Margaret’s story concludes our short series on recovery heroes. This series started with Dolly Sen, followed
by Peter Chadwick, Gordon McManus and Matt Ward. Four of the five people featured were from our local
service at South London and Maudsley NHS Trust. We have defined recovery heroes as individuals whose
journeys of recovery can inspire both service users and professionals alike. Margaret once commented that,
‘all service users are recovery heroes’. It is fitting that the series should end with her own story.
Key words
Margaret Muir; Recovery heroes; Mental health; Survival; Recovery; Recovery Awards
Margaret Muir
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